Return of the Chosen One
by Shadow-might-write
Summary: Struggling to come back from the dark side, Anakin faces the reality of raising his children alone and on the run. Padme's dead, Obi-wan's betrayed him and Darth Sidious is sending his new second in command after him and every remaining Jedi. (T for moderate swearing)
1. My Love is Dead, My Soul Torn

Here are two things you need to know:

Mia- Mia is a Jedi who was born deaf and uses the Force to hear in the sense she can feed the sound into her brain through it. She was also trained alongside Anakin and they both are fluent in sign language as a result.

There are a few triggers because I really don't want to affend/upset/trigger any one of you lovely readers.

There are mentions of PTSD resulting from events from Revenge of the Sith. There is a short abusive relationship in only Chapter 9 but mentioned very rarely later on. Chapter 20 and on will have brief and non-graphic mentions of child abuse that happened in the past, before this story.

There will be occasional swearing but it's still within the T-rating.

_Italicized text means signing/signing while talking_

_**Bold Italicized text means dreams or flashbacks.**_

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August 5th, Three days post Galactic Empire

Anakin Skywalker watched from the balcony stories above the streets, above the grand precession. The streets were crowded with people, standing on the sides of the street as the capsule surrounded by people passed by. Anakin watched the young woman, pale and lifeless inside the casket. Dressed in a brilliant blue dress, her favorite color, her long chocolate curls splayed out and adorned with blue ribbons and fresh flowers. Silent tears streamed down his cheeks as he watched the body of his beloved wife—long gone now—turn the corner.

Later today, he would visit the grave site, long after everyone had left. He could cry more then.

"I put them down for a nap," She spoke softly from behind, "Finally," She added, sounding exhausted.

"Thank you," He murmured hoarsely, his voice almost breaking. He didn't turn to look at her, unable to bare letting her see him cry.

"I'll make you some tea, come out when you're ready," She told him before she turned and walked into the next room, her footsteps growing quieter and quieter.

Mialera—Mia, she preferred Mia—Rosslyn walked into the kitchen, her heart heavy. She knew Padmé and they were fairly close. Anakin and Padmé never knew that Mia knew they were married and that was why Mia always took time to check up on Padmé and see how she was doing.

Sighing, the young girl—barely twenty-one—filled up the kettle, placing it on the lit burner. Slumping against a counter she bowed her head, exhausted and confused, depressed even. Her long, wavy black hair fell, covering her face. Her hands roamed over the simple red and orange dress, smoothing out the wrinkles in an attempt to distract herself.

The gentle tapping of the rain on the roof went unnoticed to her, the sounds around her completely tuned out. She wasn't sure how she'd found herself in this position, one minute, she's stowing away in the Nubian starship of a Senator with her former master to stop her friend from causing more harm to the galaxy. Then suddenly, in a flash it seemed, Padmé was dead and Anakin was stuck in the deadly balance between the dark side and the light side, struggling to regain some sense of balance. Then there were the twins, Luke and Leia. She promised to help him out, but she didn't know the first thing about children. When they were padawans Obi-wan would make them "volunteer" at the crèche, but that didn't prove to be of any help now.

Soft vibrations echoed through the floor, making Mia turn her attention to Anakin just as he walked in, stretching her senses out to hear him.

"Hey," She whispered.

"Hey," He echoed miserably, not facing her. He knew better, he knew that it was easier for her if she could see who she was talking to, read their lips along with hearing through the force.

Then she noticed he was turning the stove off, the steam of the kettle dying down. It must have gone off and she hadn't noticed. Frowning, Mia moved to make herself some tea, something calming perhaps. Anakin turned to face her, making her look up to see his red eyes and the dark circles under his eyes.

"_What's your plan?_" Mia asked him, her face thoughtful and her hands moving purposefully, deciding that a distraction was what he needed.

His eyebrows furrowed together, confusion etched on his face. "_Where are you going to raise them?_" She continued, not bothering to physically voice her thoughts, "_Away from the Empire and Sidious, obviously, but how are you going to find the money?_"

He sighed, "_Padmé and I set up a few savings accounts, in case we had to disappear, from the order, from the Republic. It was a safety fun, if we wanted to run away_."

Mia frowned, wanting to ask if he'd have bothered to say goodbye before disappearing.

"There's this planet," He continued aloud, hands falling to his sides, "It's called Verron, way out in the outer rim. Neither the Separatist or the Republic had any interest in it, it just went unnoticed for the most part. It's a safe place to live, I'm going to buy a house for us and get a job as a mechanic."

"You thought a lot about this," She surmised aloud.

Anakin nodded, looking a little guilty even. "_We had to have a plan for last minute if something happened,_" He explained, hands moving fluidly again, "_Verron was just one of the places we had in mind_."

Mia nodded, approving. Gathering some of his courage, he asked her: "Will you come with me, make sure they are safe during the day?" He asked her, "I need someone to protect them when I'm not there."

"Of course," She answered, not even having to think about it. Anakin was her friend, she'd follow him and Obi-wan anywhere.

There was a long silence before Mia noticed another, very familiar, presence. It was shielded but she would know it anywhere.

"Do you feel that?" Anakin asked her as she moved, rushing towards the nursery, Anakin on her heels.

The cries of a baby reached her ears through the force. She found Leia, still in her crib, but Luke was missing. "Take care of her, I'm going after him," Anakin called as he disappeared.

Mia looked in the direction he disappeared to, the balcony. Picking up Leia, she soothed the newborn.

Anger boiled in his blood as he jumped off the balcony onto an empty speeder down below, turning it on with the force. Obi-wan was back and this time not to kill him but take his children away. Firing through the air, he forced the speeder to go at high speeds, chasing after his master and the precious force signature that had already become so close to him. He found himself at a space port. There were hundreds of ships and Obi-wan could be in anyone, with Luke in his hands. Rushing through the crowds, he pushed himself to run faster than thought possible. Then he spotted it, a beat up red star-fighter, raising in the air, Obi-wan and Luke inside. A guttural sound escaped through his throat in desperation as he looked for a ship he could take. In minutes Obi-wan would me a jump for hyperspace and he'd never be able to track him after that.

He barely made it to a fast ship—fast but not fast enough—before his heart dropped. They were long gone now and he couldn't sense them anymore. Leaning against a nearby pillar, he slid down, despair and anger sinking into him. His hands found themselves gripping his hair in frustration. He felt cold and hot at the same time, sick. He could throw up he felt so sick. This was what betrayal felt like and he'd gotten to know it very well over the last few days.

How could Obi-wan do this? A brother, a father-figure, a friend had betrayed him and it didn't seem to stop. How had things gotten this twisted?

Standing up slowly, still feeling like he could vomit at any moment, Anakin walked out. He felt numb as well as sick. Thoughts were barely passing through his head. The heat of summer still made him cold, shivering even.

He didn't feel he could trust anyone. He barely trusted Mia and only because she had save his life. He would have died by the hand of his former master.

He barely made it to the hotel room—more like apartment—where they were staying. Mia walked in to see him but the look on his face, miserable and full of despair, made her questions die in her throat. Turning, he moved to his room, unable to face anyone. Closing the door, he fell onto the bed, facing the ceiling. He barely noticed the tears leaking through his eyes and streaming down to his ears and into his hair.

"Anakin?" Mia called.

Wiping the tears off, he moved to open the door. She stood there, her grey eyes watering up and her lips turning down. Suddenly she pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around him in a fierce hug. He stood there for a moment, motionless and shocked, before wrapping his arms around her.

"Why'd he do it?" He asked to nobody in particular, his voice breaking.

She just held on tighter, not having an answer to that. After another moment, she pulled away and looked into his tired eyes. "You need to get some sleep," She told him softly.

"_I don't think I can_," He mumbled, hands moving slowly, "_What if he comes back for Leia?_"

"_You just get some sleep, I'll stay up and watch her_," Mia told him, before verbalizing: "We'll find him again, I promise we will."

He answered back with a chocked sob. Silently, Mia placed her hand on his heart, pushing him back until he was sitting on his bed, telling him she'd make some tea to help him sleep. He fell asleep from exhaustion before the kettle even went off.

August 6th, Four days post Galactic Empire

**_He found himself in a dimly lit hallway. The lights flickered as he walked past, looking for some sort of clue as to where he was. The further he walked the dark it got. The hallway seemed to never end. Then a piercing scream filled his ears._**

**_"Anakin!" She shouted._**

**_"Padmé?" He called, looking around, trying to find where he voice came from._**

**_It was Padmé, she was in danger and she was still alive. Suddenly he found himself running down the hallway, trying to reach the never ending screams, calling for her._**

**_ "Anakin." Another voice called to him from the distance._**

**_He kept running, running and running, he had to find her._**

**_"Anakin!" "Anakin!"_**

**_Both voice calling for him. Confusing him. _**

**_"It's a nightmare, you need to wake up!" The voice called, making him turn around. Suddenly his world was shaking and he couldn't grab anything to hold onto._**

He opened his eyesto see Mia, standing over him and looking very worried. "It was a nightmare," She told him, "It wasn't real," She assured him.

"It was a nightmare, it wasn't real," He repeated, whispering it over and over again like mantra.

He was back in the loaned apartment, Padmé was gone, Luke was gone, the entire Jedi Order was gone and in the place of the Republic was an Empire he'd had a hand in creating. He felt so numb, it seemed so surreal. His nightmare seemed realer than this twisted reality.

He turned, seeing it was near dawn. "We need to get off world, before anyone comes looking for us." Anakin stated numbly, "We'll need new names."

Mia nodded, "Give me a few hours, I'll have new papers for us and I'll get us some tickets. You just spend some time with Leia, I'll take care of it," She told him.

Anakin nodded numbly. He'd have to get money from one of the multiple accounts he and Padmé had created, all under a different alias.

"One of the accounts I created is under the name of Anku Moslov," He told her, "Keep Leia's name."

Mia nodded before leaving, a small purse with money hanging off her shoulder. In the meantime Anakin kept himself busy with watching Leia as she slept, or feeding her at one point. There was the diaper change, which he had trouble with but, somehow, managed. Sometime after lunch Mia came back, bringing with her a folder full of papers—birth certificates, ID cards, and passports to take them to any planet, no restrictions. She took the name Mia Lilkov. Along with that she had two tickets taking them to Verron first thing in the morning.

August 10th, One week post Galactic Empire

A young man dressed in all black strode into the room confidently. Out of the corners of his eyes he watched the shadows suspiciously, wondering what his master could want. Invitations into large and grand rooms like this usually meant punishment. That was something he could handle, that he had handled as long as he could remember.

At the end of the room sat the newly self-appointed Emperor. The hood of his cloak hung low and little of his face could be seen. Still, there was a lot of damage that could be seen, even with so much of his face hidden.

**_Never pictured him as a vain man_**, the young man thought to himself with well hidden amusement.

He met his master ten feet in front of his throne and kneeled, his head bowed low. He waited patiently for his master to speak but silence stretched on. That wasn't uncommon, the old Sith lord was big on dramatic pauses and grand speeches. Still it continued to stretch on into time and the kneeling man began to feel his leg muscles twitch with the desire to move.

"Darth Brutus, rise," The Sith lord spoke.

He stood and awaited punishment. Still, nothing lurked in the shadows and Darth Brutus resigned with the belief this was one _those_ punishments. Instead of fighting to his last breath and receiving a good dose of Sith lightning he'd be starved for Force knows how long, forced to fight while he was weak and receive daily tortures at the hand of his master. Nothing he couldn't handle.

"Darth Vader is a traitor and in his place you will rise. Your mission is to hunt down all the surviving Jedi and destroy them. In your quarters you will find the files of every Jedi believed to be alive and you will hunt them all down. Have your ships ready to leave in three days' time."

The young man nodded mutely. His master expected silence and respect, a lesson quickly learned in his youth. Bowing lowly he murmured one parting sentence: "It will be done."

With that he left the large throne room aboard the large ship equipped to carry **_His Majesty_**—there came that sarcastic edge in his thoughts, always a problem in his master's eyes—and made his way to the small quarters he had the privilege of calling a temporary home.

August 18th, Two weeks post Galactic Empire

It had taken Anakin a week to spot a house in a small town nestled between the mountains and a lake. The house had four bedrooms, and was near a small meadow where Mia thought Leia might like to play when she got older. Anakin had also secured a job as a mechanic at a local transportation center.

Mia was surprised at the size of it. She'd thought it'd be a cramped little house and while it wasn't huge it was comfortable. As she walked down the short hallway she noted the kitchen, hanging off to the left through an archway. The living/dining room was a comfortable size. She noted the small bedroom off to the side, next to the stairs. Anakin followed slowly behind, Leia in his arms. With one head jerk he gestured for her to go up the stairs. On the second floor she found three bedrooms.

"_This one's yours_," He told her, signing with his free hand before opening the door.

Stepping in she found a fair sized room with two windows looking out towards the north where the sun rose in the sky and stretched south.

"I need to put her down for a nap," Anakin mentioned aloud, walking out and across the hall to Leia's room.

It was sparse, just a crib and few blankets and stuffed animals, along with diapers. Furniture was just one more thing they'd have to figure out.

"I'm going to go out, get some basic supplies," Mia murmured, standing in the doorway.

Anakin turned to her, "_About that_," He started, signing with both hands now that Leia was in her crib, snuggled in a pink blanket, "_I created a new account, under both my name and yours_."

She looked at her, her eyes widening slightly in shock, "_You didn't have to do that_." She told him barely managing to sign, unable to actually speak.

Anakin smiled slightly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "_Mia, you need access to money, how are you supposed to buy things like food?_"

She nodded, "_I suppose I should probably get beds too_," She added with a wry grin.

The corner of his mouth tilted up in a crooked smile, "Yeah, that might be a good idea," He muttered with dry sarcasm.

By the end of the night, all they had was food, kitchen ware and beds. Anakin planned on buying more furniture the next day, but for now they had the essentials. It took some time for them to get set up, from things like buying furniture to figuring out raising a baby.

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Reviews make me very happy, critiques are welcome but be kind :)


	2. I Found Myself in a New Reality

September 4th, One month post Galactic Empire

Two more weeks had past. The universe beyond diaper changes and Anakin continued to evolve, not stopping for them. Darth Vader had been declared a traitor for abandoning his post. Darth Brutus now stood as second in command. Though, nobody knew what he really looked like, he wore a black mask and walked around with black armor that was reminiscent to a clone trooper's. He was taking over Vader's job of annihilating every Jedi and keeping everyone in line.

Mia didn't have time to worry about masked murders. Anakin was trying enough. Sometimes, when he slept dreamlessly, Mia couldn't get him out of bed. Other times, after nightmares, she couldn't convince him to sleep. Getting him to eat was a challenge, bathe was almost impossible. For the most part, Mia was the only one taking care of Leia.

She walked into the kitchen, half dragging Anakin, who had barely gotten out of bed, and sat him on a chair. Next she put a cup of coffee and some breakfast in front of him. He didn't respond.

"I'm tired of it Anakin!" She nearly shouted.

He looked up in surprise, his blue eyes widening slightly. He'd seen Mia raise her voice a handful of times but she never shouted.

"You need to pull yourself together, for Leia's sake. She'd already a month old. In six or eight months, she'll be talking! What are you going to say when she asks you why you won't get out of bed? Or why you look like you haven't eaten in months? Or why you stink to high heaven?" Mia demanded.

Anakin opened his mouth to say something, say anything but the words weren't forthcoming.

"Sitting around won't help anything. You barely go to work and sooner or later, your boss will fire you. Then we won't be able to afford food. You behavior hasn't helped anything," She told him matter-of-factly.

He hung his head in shame, knowing she was right about anything.

"You need to support Leia, you need to find Luke and bring him home. You need to make sure they are safe and sound!" Mia told him in a quiet, calm voice.

"Your right," Anakin said finally.

"And?" Mia demanded expectantly.

He stared at her, not quite sure what she was asking if him. Through the numbness that seemed to take over his life he recognized this plan was still half baked and it needed working on. They needed a good plan, goals. Anakin thought on this for a few minutes before answering Mia.

"And I'm going to eat, go take a shower, go to work, and when I get back, I will play with Leia and when she is asleep, I will work on finding Luke," He declared.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear," Mia replied, smiling.

She turned to go and check on Leia, leaving Anakin to contemplate all she'd said. Mia sighed, thankful that tactic had worked and praying to the Force it wasn't necessary again.

After breakfast, Anakin went and showered, realizing he really did smell. Truthfully he had little motivation to do anything, his only motivation being that he really did not want Mia yell at him again. Anakin lacked the motivation to do a lot of things, things he could do. It was a simple matter of finding the right motivator.

Mia was sitting in the living room, feeding Leia formula, when Anakin went to work. He bent down and kissed Leia's head.

"I'll see you tonight Leia," He whispered to her. He turned to Mia, actually managing to smile as signed: "_Thank you Mia, I needed to hear that_."

"_Anytime Skywalker_," Mia replied in sign language, a smirk pulling on her lips.

September 4th, One month post Galactic Empire

Darth Brutus groaned and slipped out of the heavy armor he wore everywhere. Next came the annoying and necessary mask. The young man preferred anonymity. It was an added bonus the mask created a more intimidating impression on people than the face of a twenty-something year old man. In his quarters he was free and there were orders that absolutely nobody was to disturb him or enter his quarters under any reason.

He glared at the data pad sitting on the coffee table next to some cold and stale coffee from this morning. Darth Brutus was making headway in reading all the Jedi files but after a while they all began to look the same. Here and there you caught a file of a Jedi who did something significant or caused a lot of trouble in their childhood and apparently the Jedi recording all these incidents loved to tell stories.

Settling down on the couch Darth Brutus continued his research on the hunted. Boring file after boring file about boring Jedi who did little with their lives, what a tedious process to read. Finally, he came across a name of a much more interesting Jedi Knight.

_**Mialera Rosslyn**_

Darth Brutus slowly read through the file. It started off with the account of how she came to the Jedi Temple. Apparently Master Jinn and Padawan Kenobi went to Alderaan to take care of some diplomatic issue. While staying at the palace they met a young girl, Mialera, and her mother. The girl was deaf and Force sensitive and the mother was sick. The mother died quite shortly after and they took the girl to see if she could be trained in the ways of the Force. At the time young Mia was three and the next five years recorded her progress in using the Force to listen to the world around her as well as her studies. After that there were numerous records of mischief this young girl caused with another Padawan, Anakin Skywalker.

Apparently the Jedi looking for Padawans at the time were hesitant to train her and nobody chose her by her thirteenth birthday.

_**What a lousy thing to do, denying further training in the Force to a child because nobody took an interest in them. They had plenty of Jedi to train these master-less Padawans, a simple assignment was all that was needed. Even if they didn't, where was harm in teaching more than one?**_

_**That was a very unbecoming thought of a Sith**_, Darth Brutus mused in mirth.

Little Mialera was denied from the Agricorps for her disability and the Jedi were without a solution. An interesting account of a meeting with Jedi Knight Kenobi who requested to teach two Padawans side by side. Apparently this man was all about the unconventional, teaching a deaf girl to hear with the Force, taking on a Padawan days within his Knighting and requesting two Padawans. Shame Kenobi had been confirmed dead, he would have loved to read t_hat_ file. The rest were accounts of missions and pranks, all involving Skywalker, the two were thick as thieves.

Darth Brutus sighed, looking up at the picture of a girl who was in her early twenties but she looked more like a teenager. There was something very familiar about her but he couldn't quite place it.

September 4th, One month post Galactic Empire

The streets of Corellia were pleasant enough. The climate was warm enough and there were worse planets to be standing on out there. Claus Greyback eyed the bar scene around him. It was filled with the typical scum: alcoholics, gamblers, thieves.

_**Perfect atmosphere considering who I'm meeting with**_, Claus thought to himself. After all, waiters at fancy restaurants might wonder what a bounty hunter was doing at their tables.

A middle aged man dressed in commoners clothing walked into the bar. His dark brown hair was slicked back and his attire assembled perfectly. His posture demanded respect. Still nobody took interest in his sudden appearance.

Jedrick Kaz eyed the bar and looked for his paying customer. He hoped this assignment would at least be fun. Perhaps he'd have to track down a criminal who'd eluded everyone else in the past. Claus always brought promising requests. His eyes caught sight of a man with just one drink on his table, his face in the shadows. Whoever this person was they hadn't brought friends and obviously didn't intend to get drunk and that just stood out. Jedrick approached this lone man and in the dimness of the lighting he recognized him.

"Claus, it's been so long," He stated, sitting down. "How've you been?"

Claus shrugged, "Not well considering I have a death warrant on my head but things could be worse," He answered dryly, taking another sip of his drink.

"Was that you being optimistic or pessimistic?" Jedrick inquired in curiosity. He always found the Jedi quite interesting, his different ways of thinking and how no problem seemed too complex for him to figure out.

"Pragmatic," Claus sighed, "I need some help."

Jedrick smiled, this he liked. Since when did the Jedi Master need anything—except maybe getting a death warrant off of his head, but that was unhelpable.

So he only requested one thing: "Please tell me it's challenging."

Claus grinned in response. "Considering how resourceful these three can be and all the others on their trail, challenging is only the beginning."

"You need a tracker," Jedrick laughed, his laugh deep and slow, like he savored every moment of it.

"I need the best," He clarified, smiling despite himself.

Jedrick smiled, "Alright, let me have it."

Claus slid one datapad containing three files inside, "Anakin Skywalker, Obi-wan Kenobi and Mialera Rosslyn."

Jedrick scoffed, "You want me to find one of the Republic's best Jedi teams?" He raised an eyebrow at that.

"You wanted a challenge," Claus challenged, leaning back in the booth with his arms crossed.

"Okay, last I checked Kenobi was dead and Skywalker was number one for the Empire's hit list," Jedrick opened Mia's file and pulled up her photo and showed it to Claus. "And need I remind you she disappeared from the headlines months before the rise of the Empire? Nobody's heard of her since."

"If you read the file you'll find she was at the Jedi Temple training a few Padawans with similar hearing impairments," Claus explained.

Jedrick took a gulp of his previously ignored drink. "So in other words she's dead along with the rest of them."

Claus sighed and shook his head. "She's still on the watch list, even after the Empire got through with the casualty lists."

Jedrick grinned. "You certainly pulled through Claus, I'll keep in contact. Shall we agree on the usual payment?"

Jedrick had caught quite a few Separatists through Claus's jobs in the last three years. Those were always fun jobs. Who knows, maybe hunting a Jedi would prove to be a new challenge.

September 17th, Six weeks post Galactic Empire

It seemed like a typical day. The days were warm and sunny but sometimes it rained, and when it rained it poured. This part of the planet seemed to be in eternal spring. Mia didn't really mind, she loved that it wasn't too cold but wasn't to hot. They also loved that the air was clear. Coruscant, being a city planet with very few, very sparse parks, was always humid and the air smelled of pollution.

Mia stood by the counter making dinner while Anakin sat in the living room watching the news. It was a news program that was about two weeks old talking about Darth Brutus's newest deeds and the new laws made by the Empire.

"I suppose old news is the price one must pay to be remote and safe," Anakin mused to himself.

The room flashed three times followed by the sound of the doorbell.

"I'll get it," Mia declared, leaving her post in the kitchen.

Mia opened the door and was surprised to come face to face with a middle aged couple. They both were tall and the woman was on the heavy side but judging on the young infant in her arms that was all due to the pregnancy. They were smiling and casual.

"Sorry, hope we didn't catch you off guard but noticed you're new to the neighborhood and we wanted to introduce ourselves to you," The woman spoke, her voice friendly and cheerful, "I'm Vivi Haln and this is my husband Drek."

"Um, Mia Lilkov," She stammered a reply. Mia casted a cautious glance into the house and reminded herself to call Anakin by his alias. "Anku, can you come over here."

Anakin walked up to the door hesitantly. At the sight of the seemingly harmless couple he relaxed a tad. "Hello, I'm Anku Moslov, nice to meet you," He introduced himself.

Vivi and Drek looked between the two in confusion.

"You're not married?" Drek asked tactlessly. Vivi gave her husband a sharp look at that.

Mia quirked a brow, "Uh, no, just friends," She assured them.

"It's just, I've seen you both with a little girl," He amended, looking embarrassed.

Anakin grinned, amused. "That's my daughter Leia, no Mia is a family friend."

"Where's your wife then?" Vivi asked in genuine confusion.

His amusement ended there and Anakin tried to hide his sullen nature at the reminder. "My wife died recently," He murmured sadly.

A beat of silence passed as the couple attempted to find a way to mend their blunder.

"I'm so sorry," Vivi murmured, sympathy in her eyes.

To Anakin it looked more like pity but he nodded mutely, trying to collect himself but sometimes he felt like parts of him were too shattered to ever be pulled back together.

"We won't keep you, we just wanted to meet you," Drek stated gently. "If you need anything, we're next door, stop by anytime."

After they left and Mia closed the door both breathed a sigh of relief at being alone again. Anakin spotted the small light bulb in the middle of the ceiling.

"_You added a flashing doorbell_," Anakin grinned, signing before pointing up at the light bulb itself.

Mia rolled her eyes at that. "_I'm hearing impaired, not mechanically impaired_," She reminded him, her hands moving dramatically slow with an irritated look crossing her features.

"You got somebody else to install them, didn't you?" Anakin teased her, nudging her as she walked by.

September 25th, Seven weeks post Galactic Empire

Kail is a nice tropical planet, very remote. Its biggest exports were food exports but it had little else in resources like metals or fuel. That left Kail in the shadows for the Empire. Obi-wan doubted they'd have any plans for Kail unless the Emperor developed a love for rare fruits.

Luke was restlessly sleeping. What else was new? The poor boy felt a loss and he didn't know why. Obi-wan sympathized with this. He'd felt many losses in life, most confusing was Anakin. Repeatedly Obi-wan had tried to reason his way through this but no such luck. He could claim he had no attachment to Anakin what so ever but that was obviously not the truth. Obi-wan could say that Anakin's choice to become a sith led to his end as Anakin. He had a hard time believing that, especially from himself. Logically Obi-wan should not be attached, Anakin was dead and there should be no more pain.

"How complicated," Obi-wan murmured, looking out the window if his apartment forlornly, missing the days before war when all he had to worry about was if Mia and Anakin got in trouble again.

Obi-wan ran a hand through his now short and spikey hair and rubbed his now smooth chin. That was a weird change, but nothing in comparison to the others.

He heard Luke crying and figured it was time to feed the infant. Getting up the Jedi master walked to the single bedroom he'd reserved for Luke—Obi-wan was crashing on the couch each night—and feed the child. When Luke was burped and returned to his crib with the usual childish nonsense of cooing from Obi-wan part, Obi-wan returned to the kitchen to make his own dinner.

At least Obi-wan had gained some knowledge in caring for children through his former master's punishments in disguise. The volunteer punishment worked nicely in dealing with Mia and Anakin later in life as well. Now it was making the job of raising Luke a much easier thing.

October 5th, Two months post Galactic Empire

_**Anakin Skywalker found himself stuck in a room shrouded in darkness. He looked around but the lighting was dim and all he could see were two shadows in the distance. That Force presence he couldn't mistake though.**_

"_**I love you Ani," Padme's voice broke through the air, chilling Anakin's bones.**_

_**He attempted to say he loved her too but he was mute. Anakin attempted shouting but no sound came.**_

"_**Aren't you going to say it back?" Padme asked teasingly, flirtatiously. Anakin tried again but his voice was absent. "Well Ani?" Padme whispered.**_

_**There was sudden burst of blue violet light and a crackle that sickened Anakin. The room was ignited with Sith lightning. Tortured screams, Padme's tortured screams, echoed in the room. Standing to help her Anakin realized he was chained to the floor. He struggled, his fear palpable.**_

"_**Padmé!" He called but there was no voice to back his words up.**_

_**The second figure, the attacker, was illuminated by the lightning flying from his fingertips. Anakin stared in horror at himself.**_

The ground hit him hard, taking his breath away, and Anakin opened his eyes. There was no lightning, no screaming and no chains. It took a moment to realize that while struggling in his dreams he'd fallen off the bed, tangled in the sheets. He took a few minutes to breathe and just calm down.

Anakin silently thanked the Force that Mia neither heard that nor felt the disturbance in the Force.

The door opened and the young woman stepped in, rubbing her eyes. Her long wavy hair was loose and frazzled. Mia looked over at Anakin and smiled at the picture before her.

"Interesting sleeping arrangements Anakin," She teased verbally, her voice a little garbled with both deafness and exhaustion.

_**Spoke to soon**_, Anakin thought tiredly.

At work Anakin worked hard but the cloud of drowsiness pulled at him from time to time. For a moment, under the speeder, he contemplated taking a nap. There were still two more speeders to fix up and Raun was in the middle of hiring a second mechanic. Anakin perked up when he heard Raun's footsteps.

"Can I talk to you Anku?" He inquired.

Anakin rolled himself out from under the speeder and sat up as he cleaned up his hands, looking at Raun. The older man was in his early sixties with patchy salt and pepper hair and a short skinny body, his disposition kind and friendly. Raun set a bagged lunch down in Anakin's hands.

"Here's your lunch, wonderful little lady stopped by saying your forgot it," He explained with a grin on his face.

Raun took a closer look at Anakin and noticed the dark circles, hallow eyes and usual scruff.

"You been feeling alright?" Raun asked, kneeling down. "Have you been sleeping?"

Anakin sighed, "I don't get much of that lately, not since my daughter was born and my wife died."

Raun quirked a brow, "You mean that wasn't your wife?" He questioned.

Anakin sighed, sometimes he found it incredibly annoying that everyone thought Mia was his wife and more than just a friend, "Uh, no, just a childhood friend helping me get back on my feet, her name's Mia," He explained.

"And how's Leia?" Raun inquired.

"She's good, doesn't like to sleep much I guess," He shrugged.

The older man smiled, "My son was like that when he was little, they all grow out of it."

Anakin grinned and Raun left to go back to work. Setting his lunch aside Anakin got back to work himself. He sincerely hoped Leia grew out of the restless stage.

October 11th, Two months post Galactic Empire

Jedrick sat at the table of his small Corellia apartment, various papers scattered around him. Now that his previous job was completed—smuggler with a rep for short changing in need of a good laser blast through the brain—he could start Claus's little assignment. At the moment this was just assessing.

_**Well, Skywalker is going to have the hardest time blending in. He'd need a remote planet to hide in or a ship to jump around in, an alias and allies. His face was in the most headlines, the whole universe has to have heard of him by now. Every bounty hunter has him in mind, there's big reward money in his head.**_

Jedrick had considered finding Skywalker and turning him in for the reward money but he already didn't agree with the Empire and that wasn't likely to change with all the new laws being passed—restrictions on freedom, slavery and putting the needs of the people before the military.

_**Rosslyn will probably blend in easy enough. She's got a common last name so she could easily get away with using her real name or go down the alias road. Her face disappeared from headlines a while ago so people are forgetting her and that face you could mistake for a hundred others. She certainly knows how to get around a death penalty too.**_

Jedrick picked up the printed report of her incident on Halbon where she was sentenced to death.

_**Kenobi, if he uses his last name he should be easy to find. Unless you're on Stewjon there aren't a whole lot of them out there. He doesn't have a death warrant on his head, so he wouldn't too badly need to get an alias. I bet having the universe thinking you're dead must be nice. He's the easiest mark.**_

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I know that it doesn't make much sense as to why Claus is even involved at all but it ties into the story down the road it is actually pretty important. Reviews make me smile :)


	3. Losing Friends and Family

October 27th, Two months post Galactic Empire

Mia sat on the edge of the counter with a cup of coffee in hand. She'd begun to notice some things in the last few weeks. One of the biggest was the very dim Force presence upstairs. It wasn't even dim because of shielding, It was a combination of Anakin's mood and his lack of use in the Force. All Jedi used the Force at all times of the day, keeping their senses open. Anakin hadn't meditated, done Force exercises or lightsaber practice either.

Mia felt said dim Force signature coming down the stairs and sighed. Anakin walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee.

Setting down her coffee cup to free up her hands, she cleared her throat, "_We need to do some sparring,_" She signed—it was too early in the morning to bother speaking.

Anakin quirked a brow, looking at her as though she'd lost it. "_We can't, if somebody hears lightsabers there's going to be a call made to the nearest Imperial Outpost_," He reminded her.

Mia rolled her eyes. "_We have a few broomsticks, you want to use those instead?_"

He thought about it for a moment, "_I still think it's a bad idea_." He insisted, speaking now.

"_But you don't want to say no_," Mia said knowingly with a wide grin as she nudge his arm.

Anakin shook his head, "_It's a really bad idea_."

"You just don't want to lose again," Mia baited him, speaking in a sing-song voice.

"I did not lose," He insisted, referring to the incident that shall never be mentioned.

Mia laughed, "You tripped over a fold in the mat and I had you pinned. You'd lose again anyway, why bother?" She continued to bait him.

"I would not!" Anakin insisted.

"Loser has diaper duty for a month," Mia challenged, raising an eyebrow.

Anakin grinned, crossing his arms, before signing: "_You're on, after work we'll spar_."

"_You have the day off_." Mia pointed out, her hands moving again.

He paused and nodded. "_Right, so when, where?_"

Mia shrugged. "_That meadow that's ten minutes away, I haven't seen a lot of people around there, considering there's a park nearby. We could probably get the Halns to watch Leia._"

After one conversation with Vivi Haln, followed by a brief cup of coffee and some chat over cookies, Mia and Anakin packed the speeder with a mop and a broomstick before leaving.

It was Anakin's first time to the meadow, but Mia had been there a few times before to meditate. He found it incredible. It was spacious but rounded off by a nearly perfect circular ring of trees. It had slight hills and was coated in wildflowers.

This part of the planet was in an eternal spring. It orbited its star in a circular route about every four standard years and was level, no tilt to create seasons. Closer to the equator and it was perpetually summer and closer to the poles there was endless winter.

Mia walked to the middle of the meadow with her mop in hand. She turned and faced Anakin with a smirk plastered on her face. He grinned and walked up to where she was, standing seven feet in front of her.

"These are a tad longer than regular lightsabers," He pointed out with a sigh, holding it out in the air, tip pointed at the sky.

"We could grip them higher up the handle," Mia suggested, sliding her hand up six inches.

Anakin shrugged and followed her motions. "Ready?" He asked.

She nodded and they both held their weapon out and took their stance. Mia, who usually waiting for her opponents to make the first move, jumped ahead and took Anakin by surprise. He blocked her forward thrust, left and right arc cuts and jumped back from a horizontal slashing motion. Mia continued pressing forward with attack after attack. Their weapons clashed, loud cracks of wood sounding through the meadow. Anakin looked for a way to take right away for himself. He saw an opening as Mia thrust her weapon forward and made a circular motion and moved her weapon off course before leaping at her with his own attacks.

Anakin made and upper and lower right cut, both times clashing with Mia. He pushed forward and she backed away, blocking him each time. There was a tree stump behind Mia and Anakin pushed harder in his attacks. Just as he thought he could trip Mia on the tree stump she back flipped on top of it with a mildly arrogant smirk. Anakin blocked her next attack once and brought the tip of his weapon to her neck.

"Damn," Mia muttered, her breathing slightly labored from the spar.

"Check and mate," Anakin gloated, "I get that nice month vacation from diaper duty."

Mia groaned, "I do it two thirds of the time anyway."

"You do not," Anakin teased, laughing.

"Every time while you're away and half the time when your home," Mia stated simply as they walked back to the speeder. "So actually it's more like three quarters."

"Damn," Anakin muttered thoughtfully, "We should really get a shift system or something, that's really not fair to you." That comment made Mia smirk.

November 5th, Three months post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan lied on the floor, an ice pack on his head, in an attempt to keep cool. Kail summers were absolutely dreadful. Luke wasn't thrilled with the heat either. Luke sat on his stomach a few feet away from Obi-wan, reaching for his stuff animal. It was absolutely his favorite toy right now. Obi-wan looked up at the boy gurgled, still reaching for the toy just out of reach. Grinning he pushed it closer to the child and Luke squealed with joy. Obi-wan closed his eyes and imagined himself standing in the snow on Hoth. Dying a frozen death was probably nicer than melting.

Luke gurgled again and Obi-wan opened his eyes again. The toy was now closer to Obi-wan and out of Luke's reach.

"I see, you want to play." Obi-wan smiled, picking up Luke and the stuffed animal—a big cat Obi-wan had nicknamed Toothless, for his open and toothless pink mouth.

The better part of an hour later it was time to feed Luke and put him down for a nap. After doing that Obi-wan took a shower and meditated. After that he looked through his things for a notebook he'd been keeping Luke's developmental progress in but before he found it he saw a crumpled picture. It was old and faded but Obi-wan remembered that day very clearly. He'd just taken Mia on as his second apprentice and they'd gone out to Dex's to celebrate. After hearing about it, Dex decided they should have a photo to remember it.

He'd made Anakin and Mia stand in front of Obi-wan, pretending to tug on their padawan braids. Anakin was in the middle of puberty, he'd sprouted to almost Obi-wan's height but his face was still a little boyish and his grin as mischievous as ever. In fact, if Obi-wan was remembering correctly, it was right around the time his voice dropped and Mia was constantly making fun of him, imitating his voice as it cracked. Mia was still very short though, barely thirteen and her face was still a bit round. Her hair was very long then too and, since women from her planet didn't cut their hair short until marriage, her padawan braid stretched to her waist.

November 9th, Three months post Galactic Empire

Claus sighed as he set the coordinates for the navicomputer. Alone in a two man ship and a small hold in the back just big enough lay down—if you bend your knees a bit. The navicomputer beeped with a confirmation of the destination. The stars became brilliant streaks of blue, a tunnel entirely of blue. Claus turned on his comm unit and set it to the right frequency.

Jedrick Kaz's face appeared before him and Claus grinned.

"Do you have any news?" He asked, hopeful.

"I'm going after Kenobi first. Rosslyn will have the easiest time hiding out and Skywalker already has a lot of bounty hunters sniffing for a trail. I figure Kenobi has to be in contact with one of the two anyway."

Claus nodded, agreeing. "Have you narrowed down where he might be?"

"Well, right now I'm running a hidden search on the HoloNet for documents with Kenobi listed as a last name. Great search program, buddy of mine designed it to spy in on marks." Jedrick explained.

"You think he'd be dumb enough to not change his name?" Claus asked in uncertainty.

The bounty hunter shrugged in response. "I think it's nice to not have to worry as much when the universe thinks you're dead. Who knows, maybe Kenobi is the sentimental type."

Claus thought about it. Kenobi could be sentimental over some things, his name could very well be one of them. Jedi aren't given much in life and two of the biggest things to their identity are their names and lightsabers.

November 19th, Three months post Galactic Empire

Anakin groaned as he sat down at the kitchen table with Mia after putting Leia to bed. Mia nodded sympathetically and pushed a plate of cookies his way and a cup of tea. The little three month old girl was a handle to get to sleep.

He rubbed his eyes, signs of a migraine. "That was difficult." Anakin muttered, more to himself than anything else.

Mia nodded, "_You think maybe she's been restless because Luke's gone?_" She suggested, her hands speaking for her.

Anakin felt a swell of guilt in his chest. _**It's my fault Padme's dead and Luke is missing. I haven't even found him.**_

Mia sighed, sensing the emotions within him. "I'm not blaming you, it's not your fault," She reminded him aloud, "I'm just wondering."

"_I keep trying to figure out where Obi-wan might take him but the possibilities are endless_." Anakin stated sadly, hands moving jerkily with his frustration.

"_And we don't exactly have the resources we had before with the Jedi._" Mia muttered dismally, only bothering to sign with her left hand as she leaned her chin on the palm of her right hand. "Again, not blaming you."

Anakin studied her closely for a long moment, puzzled by her statement. _**How can she not blame me? I uprooted her entire life, destroyed her home, killed her people, she has every right to hate me.**_

"How are you not blaming me? This is all my fault." He asked her in his confusion.

She sighed and shook her head. "This all had to go back years before you even came to the Temple Anakin. I mean, Sidious was training Maul and Dooku, he orchestrated the creation of the clone army and Order 66. Then he befriended you and praised you repeatedly, something the Council never did. He tricked you, that's all, it's not your fault," She told him firmly, her voice allowing no room for disagreement.

"I fell into that trap." Anakin muttered tiredly, closing his eyes as he hid his face behind his hands. "I let him gain my trust."

Mia tapped the table three times to get his attention, "_Anakin, he started working on you when you were nine, you couldn't have known better_." Mia stated stubbornly, her hands moving quickly and flawlessly, a strange sort of force in each movement.

He shook his head, just as stubborn. "_I should have sensed something!_" He insisted silently, a low sound bubbling at the bottom of his throat, a product of his frustration. Mia mused that she taught him that. When they were young and she got frustrated with something new she made that sound, which usually made Obi-wan and Anakin wince.

Mia attempted to cool her temper before speaking, she wasn't mad at Anakin but it would come out that way. With her voice raised she tried to reason with the very stubborn and downtrodden twenty-two year old. "The Council should have sensed something! Yoda, Grand Master Jedi, lived for close to a millennium, most powerful Jedi in the Order, should have sensed something. The entire Order should have sensed something," Mia softened her voice, "But we didn't, and it's nobody's fault."

Anakin stood up and started pacing. "Mia, I had two opportunities to kill the bastard and I let him live!"

She looked up at him, lost, "When in the fall of the Jedi Order was this?" There was an unintended sarcastic edge to it but that went ignored.

"When he told me I had my lightsaber at his throat but I left and went to tell Mace Windu. After I told him he got together a squad of Jedi and made me wait until Sidious was apprehended. I went anyway and when I got there the three masters Windu brought with him were dead. Windu had Sidious pinned next to a broken window and was blocking Sith lightning with his lightsaber and Sidious was in pain. Windu was going to kill him but I stopped that."

Anakin stopped as he realized how tight his chest was getting talking about this. He took a few calming breaths to keep from having a panic attack—which had happened quite a few times since his fall. He turned and looked at Mia, fearful of her response. She was thoughtful and silent and Anakin feared she'd be angry or betrayed or hateful. Finally, Mia spoke up.

"That's the first time you've ever talked about it in detail with me," She murmured, surprised.

He slumped into his chair in response and rested his head on his folded arms. The tiring events of the day combined with the stress and panic of that little revelation had him exhausted.

"You don't even know the half of it Mia," He groaned.

She sighed and sat back. "Maybe you should meditate on the events, try and gain some new perspective on it," She suggested.

"Very wise Obi-wan, I'll get right on that," Anakin sarcastically replied.

"I'm serious, it actually helps when you're facing a problem," Mia countered, "Just try it, maybe it help get rid of some of the nightmares."

"I'm going to bed," He muttered noncommittally, standing up.

Mia sighed and watched him walk out the kitchen and faintly heard him go up the stairs. Well, at least progress has been made.

November 30th, Three months post Galactic Empire

_**Mia looked around but all she could see was a dark room. Somewhere in this dark room there had to be an exit, right? It was silent but she felt like she could hear if there was noise. She scraped the metal floor with her fingernails, sure enough she heard it. Looking around the room, well it was something more of a cell or a prison, she wasn't sure where she was. All Mia knew was that she wanted to go home, really bad. Standing up she tested the height of the cell but she couldn't even stand straight. She wondered about the kind of place she was in. Sliding down the metal wall into a sitting position she looked up at the ceiling. She had to be somewhere, right?**_

Anakin peaked into her room. Mia was still sound asleep, her alarm going off. Sometimes he wondered about the point of the alarm clock, she was deaf after all. Apparently tuning into the force was so second nature to her at this point that she did it in her sleep. Some nights were the exception. Even with the flashing alarm going off though she didn't rouse.

He knelt down by the bed, she was just a mess of blankets and black hair. He shook her shoulder gently to wake her. The twenty-one year old jerked back and looked around wildly. Breathing a sigh of relief she got out of bed and quickly disabled both alarms. Anakin smirked, amused.

"I've never had to wake you up before. What's the special occasion?" He asked.

Mia wasn't listening—for whatever reason—she hadn't even noticed he'd spoken. Getting up he tapped her shoulder.

"_I never had to wake you up before. What's the special occasion?_" He signed.

The girl looked conflicted over answering. "_Just a weird dream, I couldn't get out._" She answered vaguely, rubbing her eyes.

"_What kind of weird dream?_" Anakin queried, curiosity peaking now.

"_The reoccurring kind, I've had it since I was little. I'm in this tiny metal cell and I can't get out. I can't even stand all the way. I could hear though, it's absolutely weird._" She sighed, looking away thoughtfully.

Anakin nodded, his stomach growling. He glanced up at her to see if she'd noticed. She turned and smirked at him, tuning back into the world around her.

"I'll make breakfast," Mia replied, rolling her eyes. "You'll have to get out so I can change though."

December 4th, Four months post Galactic Empire

Jedrick Kaz grinned as he looked at the document in his hands. So apparently Kenobi was the sentimental type and he liked nice, warm tropical planets. Ben Kenobi wasn't the most brilliant alias, considering Obi-wan used Ben it in several other aliases. Jedrick grinned, by the end of the week he'd be on Kail.

December 10th, Four months post Galactic Empire

He couldn't believe it. _**Did Kenobi just decide to start a family after the end of the Order? Think: Hey, I'll just walk into some random orphanage and steal a kid and raise it as my own. And what kind of name is Luke, not any name I've ever heard of.**_

Jedrick lied on the top of a neighboring apartment building from down the street, watching the window to Kenobi's apartment with binoculars.

"Some Jedi, doesn't even know he's been watched for the last thirty-six hours." Jedrick laughed, taking a bite of a meat kebab he'd bought from a local vender.

Kenobi was, at present, attempting to calm little Luke down. It seemed the only option for Obi-wan was to just hold Luke until he tired out. It wasn't the first time since Jedrick had been watching them. The man sighed and hoped things would get interesting soon.

_**Who knows, maybe Rosslyn or Skywalker will contact him soon**__._

December 15th, Four months post Galactic Empire

Darth Brutus watched with disinterest as the Jedi before him stared up in fear. He was pinned down by a red lightsaber pointed at his neck. The forty-something twi-lek Jedi with a very forgettable name and a poor fighting technique had met the end of the line.

"Name?" Darth Brutus asked, the boredom leaking though his voice despite the way the mask made it sound mechanical, droid like even.

"Meerk Gry," He answered, mustering up some bravery.

Brutus smirked from behind his mask. "Well, Meerk, any last words? I always love hearing what one would say when they knew they were about to die."

The twi-lek shook his head.

"Very well, not a very memorable death, I bet I'll forget all about you by the time I kill another one of your comrades," Darth Brutus told him dryly.

On his walk back to the ship he wished it had been a longer battle but there was little fight. Maybe the next fight would be better but he somehow doubted that.

December 21st, Four months post Galactic Empire

"_**She died of a heart defect. Her heart had an arrhythmia, she was born with it. The stress of the pregnancy was just too much for her."**_

_**The words of the doctor echoed in his mind. Anakin looked straight ahead at the wall of the medical ward. Padme was gone, just gone. His beautiful children were motherless. His wonderful, full of life Padme was lying on her back with a sheet covering her entire body. Her heart would never stutter a beat again**__._

Anakin's eyes opened and he rolled over to see the empty side of the bed. Haunted, he always felt haunted. He was haunted by all his past actions, the actions of people he once trusted. He was haunted most by her absence. The other side of the bed was too daunting to him. Waking up beside her was one of his favorite things, to see her messy curls and hear her groggy voice.

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Yay, we finally find out why Padme died. Personally, I hated the whole 'lost the will to live' crap and heart defect made so much more sense to me. Poor Anakin

More tomorrow, I promise :) Reviews make me smile! Thank you for reading and getting this far.


	4. Nightmares Tormenting Us

There is a song mentioned in this chapter the song itself isn't something I just randomly made up though. Look up **Chase Coy, Mockingbird** on YouTube, it's great

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December 30th, Four months post Galactic Empire

The sun beat down on his back, which Jedrick found most unpleasant about watching Kenobi. It wasn't that the man did little more than watch the boy and get food or that the kids cries could be heard across the street, it was the way his clothing stuck to his body with sweat and the only time he could get shade was in the early mornings. Sighing, the man checked his watch, waiting for Claus to check in like scheduled.

It beeped and Jedrick answered immediately. "Anything new on Kail?" The Jedi asked straight away.

The bounty hunter scoffed. "I wish, Kenobi has done nothing of interest since I got here. Hasn't made a call, barely leaves the house, and only to buy food, never talks to strangers."

"What has he been doing then?" Claus inquired curiously.

"Raising a baby by the name of Luke," Jedrick answered. "He leaves the apartment once a day to get food and supplies. The kid doesn't sleep a whole lot and Obi-wan does a lot of meditating."

Silence passed through the line for a few minutes. Jedrick wondered what Claus wanted to do from there.

"And no, he hasn't been in contact with a soul since I got here. He's pretty much a hermit," Jedrick added.

A beat of thoughtful silence continued. "Well, that's certainly a stumbling block. Though, just because he's not in contact with them on a regular basis doesn't mean he doesn't know where they are."

"I don't suppose you want to come to Kail and talk to him yourself?" Jedrick asked, a teasing challenge slipping into his voice.

"I'll be there in a few days," Claus replied.

They ended the conversation and Jedrick resumed watching the apartment but activity was at an all-time low. Where had Kenobi gone? Something grabbed the collar of Jedrick's coat and pushed him into the door of the roof entrance.

"Sorry, I'm not in the mood for entertaining guests," Obi-wan growled out humorlessly.

Jedrick groaned. _**Great, I'm screwed**_. At his hesitance to answer Obi-wan slammed him against the door a second time. The man winced in pain, his skull hitting the metal door hard.

"How long have you known about me?" He croaked.

"About three weeks, I just haven't had a chance to strike up a conversation," Obi-wan answered, his eyes narrowing.

Jedrick scowled and spoke with heavy sarcasm: "What a great conversationalist you turned out to be."

"Who sent you? How'd you find me?" Obi-wan demanded, scowling.

"Kenobi isn't a very common surname outside of your home planet. Ben isn't a great name to pick either, considering you've used it in other known aliases. But hey, everyone thinks you're dead so why bother?" Jedrick laughed. "Who's the kid?"

His answer to that was silence. "Okay, have you been in contact with Mia Rosslyn or Anakin Skywalker, friend of yours is worried about them."

Jedrick groaned as he was slammed to the ground. He rolled over onto his back and looked up at Obi-wan.

"I never pictured you as violent." He laughed, trying to cover up the fact that Kenobi did have him a little scared for his life. "I'll have some lovely bruises in the morning, that's certain."

"Who sent you?" Obi-wan demanded, not letting the subject change.

Jedrick was very annoyed and a bit pissed off. Getting pushed around like a ragdoll can do that to a man. He could have gone the honest route but in the moment he didn't consider that.

Obi-wan glared at Jedrick. He'd spent three weeks with his hand itching towards his lightsaber but attacking Jedrick out in the open without a suitable distraction would have brought terrible outcomes. He'd waited for a suitable distraction only to learn that more were showing up.

"Wait a few days, he's on his way," Jedrick suggested, raising a challenging eyebrow.

There was a sudden sleepiness, Jedrick felt like he was being dragged into sleeping. It's not a very pleasant experience as it turns out. The bounty hunter struggled to remain awake but ultimately failed. Obi-wan groaned as he took all of the bounty hunter's weapons and tied him up. He had to get Luke off-planet, quickly.

January 2nd, Five months post Galactic Empire

Claus sighed as he cut Jedrick loose. The poor man had been stuck in the apartment stairwell, safe from the elements but altogether unnoticed and very much stuck. He'd been that way for two days. Obi-wan had been gone at least a day and there wasn't a trace of him left. That really wasn't his concern, his big concern what Jedrick's health.

"Kenobi is a real piece of work." Jedrick had spat as soon as Claus got the tape off his mouth.

He was at loss for words because this was really uncharacteristic behavior for Obi-wan. Who knew, near death had probably made him paranoid. He wasn't just watching out for himself either, he had a kid to worry about.

"Drink this," Claus instructed, giving him a water bottle, "Drink slowly," He added sternly.

Jedrick drank eagerly, very much dehydrated. Claus bought Jedrick a hot meal. The man wolfed down the food and had glass after glass of water. It made the Jedi a bit guilty, considering it was his fault he was anywhere near Kenobi.

"So my question is, why the hell does Kenobi have a kid?" Jedrick asked in between two eager bites of his lamb cabob stew, noodles hanging off his fork. "Kids what, five, six months old?"

The Jedi thought on that for a moment as he chewed a bite of his feta and basil bread slowly. "Perhaps the child is Force sensitive and Kenobi's just trying to protect him from the empire, maybe even raise him to be a Jedi himself."

Jedrick huffed, "Well, whatever his reasoning, kid is clearly not from the planet," He told Claus, pulling a picture out of his pocket, handing it to the Jedi.

Claus was surprised to see the child was human and fair skinned with blue eyes—he had no idea what the hair color would be, the boy didn't have hair yet. Most of the planet's inhabitants were olive skinned and dark haired and humanoid, stretching a foot or so taller than most humans.

"And there's no doubt in my mind that they're on another planet by now," Jedrick continued, breaking Claus from his thoughts.

"So, from what I can tell the subjects of his contact with Rosslyn and Skywalker and who Luke is are touchy subjects. He wouldn't even speak when I asked about Luke and when I asked about who he'd been in contact with I hit the ground pretty hard. I don't think he's in contact with anyone at all." Jedrick finished and took a large gulp of his water.

"I'm going to pay you for your troubles with Obi-wan," Claus murmured, still guilty Jedrick had been caught in the middle of this.

As if picking up on Claus's mood, Jedrick shook his head. "I've seen worse, you don't have to do that," He insisted.

Claus quirked a brow, amused, "You're in the business of bounty hunting, which is all about the payment, and you don't want extra payment?" He questioned skeptically.

The man shrugged dismissively, "You don't have a lot to your name right now. Payment could just be getting even with Kenobi next time I see him."

"Fair enough," Claus agreed with a smile. "So what's your next move?"

"I'm going to find out who that Luke kid is and where he came from."

January 4th, Five months post Galactic Empire

It was another one of those sleepless nights for Obi-wan. That was normal, he was lucky to get three or four hours on a good night. His nights were plagued with questions and endless wondering. Finally, after hours of tossing and turning on top of his bed, blankets kicked to his ankles, Obi-wan drifted into a restless sleep.

_**Obi-wan found himself on the bank of the lava of river, the smell of ash in the air and the soles of his boots quickly heating up as he stood on the hot sands that lined the river, scorched black. Anakin stood on the shaky piece of debris staring up at him with hate in his yellow eyes.**_

"_**It's over Anakin, I have the high ground!" He declared, his loud voice echoing through the vacant planet of fire.**_

"_**You underestimate my power!" Anakin shouted, his expression dark and furious.**_

_**A cold dread filled him, "Don't try it," Obi-wan warned, wondering if Anakin heard the pleading in his voice like he did.**_

_**Anakin leaped into the air. Obi-wan felt his limbs moving slowly as he maneuvered his saber. He felt it rather than saw it, the pressure against his lightsaber as he cut through Anakin's legs and his arm, the one that had remained intact, until now at least. The scream of pain chilled him as Anakin tumbled down the bank towards the river of lava, barely managing to stop.**_

_**What have I done? "You were the Chosen One!" His voice shouted, the pain and betrayal evident but it didn't feel like they were his words. It felt like someone had forced their hands in him and played him like a puppet, talking for him.**_

"_**It was said you would destroy the Sith, not join them!"**_

_**Obi-wan wanted to move, to grab Anakin and carry him to safety. He wanted to cry. He wanted to tell Anakin he was so sorry. That he didn't mean it.**_

"_**Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"**_

_**Where had he gone wrong? He tried so hard to protect Anakin. Why didn't Anakin feel like he could go to him? Why didn't Anakin trust him with his marriage to Padmé? Why didn't Anakin go to him as the darkness clawed at him? Didn't he know Obi-wan would go through Hell and back to help him?**_

_**Anakin cried out in agony, "I hate you!" He shouted and he meant it and he had every right and then some to feel that way.**_

_**I'm sorry!**_

_**But it was too late and he couldn't undo the damage he'd inflicted to his brother, his friend. He wanted so bad to take it all back. Looking into Anakin's eyes, he saw the betrayal and the pain, the regret. Obi-wan hated himself for what he'd done.**_

"_**You were my brother Anakin. I loved you."**_

_**Why'd it have to end like this?**_

_**The Anakin was on fire and his screams echoed through the air, piercing through Obi-wan.**_

Obi-wan sat up, chest heaving as the screams followed him into reality. Then he realized that those scream were his. He felt something crawl its way up his throat. Obi-wan moved to run to the bathroom but the acidic remains of his dinner forced their way up through his throat before he was even out of his room. Obi-wan stumbled onto his hands and knees as he heaved, tears in his eyes as the image of Anakin burning lingered in his mind, images he would never, ever forget.

As the vomiting reduced to dry heaving before disappearing altogether, Obi-wan fell onto his back, the tears leaking through the corners of his eyes one by one. He tried to remember the events of that horrible planet, the real ones, not the ones that were forced onto him by his sadistic subconscious.

Mia, she'd stayed back to tend to Padmé and right as he'd been about to maim Anakin she pushed him away, knowing exactly what he'd do. Somehow she'd gotten Anakin to carry him to safety instead of kill him.

January 4th, Five months post Galactic Empire

_**Anakin watched from on top a rock on the shore of the lava river. He was stuck, otherwise he'd have run. He'd have run far away from one of his biggest regrets. Everything that happened on Mustafar, he wished most desperately he'd just forget it all.**_

_**He watched himself fight Obi-wan on the river of lava, balancing on scraps of metal debris. Mia was a ways away, running up the length of the sidelines. She'd been smart enough not to try and survive the river of lava and had jumped to land at the first chance.**_

_**Obi-wan flipped onto solid ground. Anakin closed his eyes but from behind his eyelids he could see everything from his memories, dead center in the action. The heat and the smell of sulfer over powered his senses.**_

"_**It's over Anakin, I have the high ground!" Obi-wan shouted, his voice carrying through the air.**_

_**He tried to tune it all out but it couldn't be helped. "You underestimate my power!" It was low and it was dangerous and truthfully the words of the past made the hairs on the back of his neck raise.**_

"_**Don't try it," It came as a warning, almost a pleading.**_

_**Anakin opened his eyes, suddenly in his own body instead of an on looker. And just in time to leap for the bank of the river. He flipped in the air and suddenly felt searing pain. It was the exact pain he'd felt when his arm had been severed by Count Dooku, but thrice over. He screamed in agonizing pain and slipped down the bank, close to the river of lava.**_

_**How could he? How could he do this? Anakin wondered, anguish filling him.**_

"_**You were the Chosen One!" Obi-wan shouted, his voice pained.**_

_**Were, not are. He acknowledged his unworthiness to carry any title at all.**_

"_**It was said you would destroy the Sith, not join them!"**_

_**I'm a failure. Anakin closed his eyes and tried not to focus on the pain searing through him.**_

"_**Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"**_

_**I'm sorry! I didn't mean for it happen this way! I only wanted to protect her! Please don't do this!**_

_**Anakin groaned in agony, the pain becoming too much. Then the unthinkable happened. "I hate you!"**_

_**Please, I didn't mean that!**_

_**But it was too late and there was nothing he could do to swallow those words back up. He wished desperately to shove them back into his chest because he truly didn't mean it. Looking into Obi-wan's eyes Anakin could see the pain of loss he felt himself. Guilt and regret and self-hatred filled him.**_

"_**You were my brother Anakin. I loved you."**_

_**Why'd it have to end like this?**_

_**Suddenly he was burning and screaming. The pain was unbearable, like nothing he'd ever felt before. He screamed but nothing could be done to help him now.**_

"Anakin, please just wake up!" She shouted, her voice breaking through the pain and the sound of his screams.

He opened his eyes, liberated from the pain. Mia was crying, looking desperate. Anakin breathed, relieved that it was just a dream. Mia had been there and she pushed Obi-wan away before he could hurt him. She put him in a sleep trance and then told Anakin that Padmé had gone into labor. She got Anakin to carry Anakin to the safety.

"I won't let anyone I care about get hurt!" She had said on that fateful day.

He carried Obi-wan to safety and then left with Padme to take her to a medical facility.

"I'm alright," He murmured into the air of darkness.

Anakin lowered his head, his back against the floor awkwardly. The night was cool and outside there was the sound of rain pouring, pounding against the roof. The night on Mustafar was a long time ago and nothing like this night. He opened his eyes and in the dark Mia's pale skin made her look like a ghost. She looked like she didn't believe him at all but rather than argue his lack of alrightedness, she chose to lay down on the cool wood floor with him.

"What did you dream about?" Mia whispered, her voice so small but still so distinct, every word carrying a secret meaning he never could quite discern.

He didn't answer at first. "Obviously it was bad," She stated.

"Mustafar," He answered, his throat cracking at the slightest use, "It ended differently, worse."

"You had me freaked," Mia whispered hoarsely. "Freaked is an understatement. You wouldn't wake up, you just kept screaming and I couldn't do anything to stop it."

"I'm alright," He assured her and himself at the same time.

He wasn't. Inside Anakin was confused, hurt and lost. He wondered about Obi-wan, not for the first time that day. He'd been thinking about Obi-wan all day. Something was tugging at him in his mind. There was something that wouldn't let him forget or think about anything else. Anakin couldn't tell anymore if he was still angry at Obi-wan. Hurt and betrayed yes, but he felt like he almost understood Obi-wan's thinking somehow.

The room flashed and they looked up at the alarm informing them of guests at the door.

"You woke the whole neighborhood," Mia muttered in amusement, "I'll get it. You should go check on Leia."

Mia padded down the stairs two at a time and nearly ran for the door. She wanted to talk to whoever was there for two minutes, tell them everything was fine and send them on their way home. Opening the door she came face to face with Vivi Haln, their next door neighbor.

"Is he alright, we woke up to screaming." Vivi asked in genuine concern, a nice break from the nosiness of the other women in the neighborhood.

Mia sighed. "He gets these really bad, really vivid nightmares from time to time. It was worse than usual and it was hard to snap him out of it."

"He's alright?" She confirmed.

The young woman groaned. "That's a relative term, but yeah, he's checking on Leia at the moment," She told her neighbor.

"Well, you guys know where to come if you need anything," Vivi smiled and stepped down the steps and walked across the lawn to her own home.

Mia closed the door and turned around to see Anakin heading down. "I don't think she noticed anything. Leia's difficult to get to sleep but when she's out she's out."

Mia nodded her head and moved towards the kitchen. "I'm making coffee, I don't think I can go to bed," She announced, flipping the light switch as she walking into the kitchen.

"Agreed."

January 25th, Five months post Galactic Empire

It was raining again, a pitter-patter sound on the room. Mia found it oddly soothing. For a while she never really understood why people said the sound of rain was calming. As she got better at listening through the Force she started to notice the environmental sounds around her. Right after reading Leia to sleep—the girl loved stories—she silently came down the stairs to get herself a cup of tea. She found Anakin sitting on the kitchen stool, eyes distant and terrified, the air around him noticeably darker.

She knew immediately something was wrong.

"Anakin?" She asked cautiously.

He didn't respond. She called to him again, given no response. She was about to shake Anakin out of whatever train of thought he was having when he started flailing his arms and legs, falling off the stool and onto the ground, his breathing practically stopping. Thinking he was having a seizure she knelt down beside him, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt collar as she called his name. Suddenly Anakin stilled, making Mia pale with fear, until he heaved a big breath.

Mia breathed a sigh of relief. "You okay?" She asked, kneeling down beside him.

He looked at her like she was a ghost. "Anakin, it's okay, you're safe." She whispered to him.

He began to gasp for air, like he couldn't get enough. Mia recognized immediately he was having a panic attack. It wasn't the first. She sat him up and rubbed his back soothingly, whispering that he was okay and safe, to breathe slower, calmer. Using the Force, she sent soothing waves through his body.

Beginning to relax, Anakin slumped, weak from the attack.

"What happened?" She asked finally.

"I think I had a nightmare," Anakin muttered numbly, staring up at the ceiling blankly.

"I don't think so, your eyes were open. I tried calling you, and you didn't respond. When I moved to shake you to attention, you started screaming." She explained to him. "I think you had a flashback."

He nodded mutely.

"You think you can sleep on your own?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "Why don't you get into bed, I'll make some sleep tea." She told him.

He got up and wondered out of the kitchen, hopefully to his bed. Sleep tea was a combination of herbs she use to grow in the temple, to make whenever she, Obi-wan or Anakin suffered from insomnia. These last few months, she'd been making a lot of it for Anakin. Thank the Force the herbs grew here naturally.

The sleep tea had proven to not be enough, so she put him in a sleep trance, hoping he'd sleep dreamlessly. The next morning he walked around aimlessly, a ghost of who he once was and it broke Mia's heart.

February 9th, Six months post Galactic Empire

Claus sat in his small apartment on Corellia, looking at the printed report Jedrick had sent him. It was the middle of the night and he'd gotten it this morning but had to wait until he finished working at the clinic he was employed at.

In his hands was Luke Skywalker's birth certificate. Skywalker. Anakin had a son out there. He picked up the second, Leia Skywalker. He had a daughter too. And a wife named Padme, the senator who'd died at the start of the Empire.

"So where do we go from here?" He had asked Jedrick a little while ago over the comlink.

His reply had been: "I'm looking for new birth certificates of children born seven to five months ago with the first name of Leia. It's not a very common name. Maybe I'll find something."

February 18th, Six months post Galactic Empire

Darth Brutus smiled. He'd traced Claus Greyback to Corellia. Claus was known for his ninety percent success rate in the war. He'd also been a trouble maker in his youth. That promised an interesting fight. He stood in an alley beside the clinic, waiting for the Jedi to walk out. He'd been waiting for a while but Darth Brutus could be patient when the situation called for it. He felt that Force signature walking out the building and right into his direction. Gripping the man by his elbow he dragged him into the alley and pushed him against the wall, a lightsaber to his throat.

"Hello Claus Greyback," Darth Brutus hissed.

Claus stared at the young man before him. Darth Brutus had forgone the mask, for whatever reason—not even Darth Brutus knew why. Claus didn't even know who he was up against, just that the young man holding a red lightsaber to his throat was eerily familiar.

Darth Brutus was pushed back into the wall behind him with a solid Force push. He groaned and opened his eyes to see Claus leap onto the fence—aided by the Force—and jump down. Getting up he followed Claus, trying to keep the man within eyesight. The fence lead to a speeder parking lot and suddenly Claus Greyback was in a speeder and driving into the streets.

"Well, that complicates things." Darth Brutus muttered as he jumped onto a moving speeder.

Pushing the driver out the young Sith pursued down the streets of a large city named Montren. Claus took a sharp right and raced down the streets, cutting in front of others at every possible chance. Tall buildings and lights reminiscent of Coruscant blurred past. The more distance between him and his assailant, the better. Stretching his senses he felt that dark presence was a block back already. All he had to do was make it back to his ship.

Darth Brutus ground his teeth together as he tried to cut in front of the speeder on his left. He couldn't let the Jedi get away. He turned left and stretched his senses, looking for the right Force signature. The Jedi was two blocks ahead, quickly putting a lot of distance between them. Darth Brutus raced through the streets, not about to lose the fight. To his surprise he caught up to the empty vehicle and Claus Greyback was nowhere to be seen. In front of him was the Montren transportation center. The young man groaned and rushed in. He really didn't like dragging civilians into this.

Claus entered the garage for owned ships and looked around. There wasn't a soul in the area. He sprinted for his ship, thankful he kept all his important possessions there. Suddenly he was pushed to the ground. Getting up again, he stared at the twenty something man who remained a mystery. Igniting his gold lightsaber he took his stand. The man dressed in all black smirked and ignited his red lightsaber before charging Claus.

He blocked the first attack, a downward arc cut aimed at his right shoulder, and pushed Darth Brutus back with some force. The Sith swung his lightsaber horizontally only to have his lightsaber arm pushed above his head by Claus's block. A swift kick to the chest and Darth Brutus groaned, knowing he'd probably bruised a few ribs. Jumping back he attacked full force with his lightsaber, ready to take the Jedi down by his forceful blows.

Claus held his own against the young man. He blocked attack after attack and at the first possible opening he used a Force push and slammed his opponent against a cement block.

Darth Brutus didn't get up, the world was spinning and his head hurt pretty badly. With blurry, unfocused eyes he watched Claus board his ship and fly out into the sky.

**_Fuck am I going to get the punishment of a lifetime._**

February 19th, Six months post Galactic Empire

Before him sat a large meal and a pitcher of water. The young sith had a feeling he'd need that and more when he got to Coruscant. After briefing the old man on his mission of Corellia, well to say the Sith lord had been pleased would have been nothing short of far from the truth. Darth Brutus was ordered to return to Coruscant.

Severe punishments had really been Darth Sidious's only way of keeping the young Sith in line. In his eyes Darth Brutus was still just a scrapped together project that would have to do until he found a suitable replacement. The boy had a strong hatred for the dark side at a young age. His entire being was appalled by its nature. The Sith lord believed that to be ignorance of youth and weakness. So he punished the boy every time he failed to use the dark side of the Force correctly. The boy was born stubborn and sarcastic and that required further breaking of his character.

Punishment was something Darth Brutus was used to and could easily handle.

February 22nd, Six months post Galactic Empire

Mia sighed as she watched Anakin spoon feed Leia some mashed carrots for lunch. It was another one of those days. Anakin was distant and even a bit cold. Breakfast and lunch had been equally silent. What was sad was Mia was used to it. Some days Anakin was himself and others he was so hulled up in his own head he barely acknowledged her. At least he was taking care of himself without any pushing from her. Mia was thankful for that, it meant progress. He hadn't had a flashback since his first and he didn't seem to have nightmares anymore—that or he was used to it. Little bit by little bit he was piecing himself together and that was all she could ask for.

February 24th, Six months post Galactic Empire

Darth Brutus rolled onto his back as the pain from the Force lightning faded away. This was day three without any food. He had gotten a glass of water once a day but that was it. Things could honestly be worse, he figured. Vader could have stayed with the Empire and he'd be locked up every day, only let out of his cell to train. Or he could have been killed if Sidious was sure Vader would never leave his side.

**_Optimism, how unbecoming of a Sith_**, he laughed to himself.

Things were bearable enough, they could be worse.

March 7th, Seven months post Galactic Empire

After finding out that Leia was learning sign language Mia started reading her stories in both out loud and in sign language. The seven month old watched with curious fascination. She had picked up a few new words in the last few weeks—Mia, Daddy, juice, hungry—and seemed to be picking up more the more she learned. She was already memorized the alphabet. Sometimes Mia thought her high midi-chlorian was the reason she developed so fast mentally. After the story however, Leia still wasn't sleepy. Sighing, Mia pulled out the big guns. Closing her eyes, she tuned herself more into the force, enhancing her hearing.

"Summer arrived on the back of a mockingbird, sang a sweet melody but couldn't seem to find the right words. I don't know if you've heard but it's all over town, yeah they're buzzing about it now."

She didn't remember where she'd heard it. It was probably something she picked up during music class—not that she ever really participated. It might have been something she heard through meditation. She hummed along the melody in between the lyrics.

"I singing along when the mockingbird came to me, perched on my windowsill and hummed along quietly. But before long she was humming along and she said, yeah she said: I've been waiting so long for these words to come out, it's practically all I've been thinking about. So thank you for find the words I couldn't find on my own. Now I'm not alone."

The physical drain of being this in tune was making her sleepy but Leia was quickly falling asleep so it was worth it.

"Autumn was on its way, summer was on its way out, the mockingbird told me: I change with the season. And so she was leaving town, in a few days now."

"We said our goodbyes but I secretly wished for more time. The seasons are merciless. Then for a while we both stood in silence until she said: I've been waiting so long for these words to come out, it's practically all I've been thinking about. So thank you for finding the words I couldn't find on my own, now I'm not alone."

Sighing, Mia slumped in her chair, exhausted as hell. That took a lot of effort but Leia was sound asleep and not likely to wake up.

"You should sing more often," Anakin told her, making her jump in surprise. She twisted in her seat so that she could see his smile and the way it reached his eyes. "Leia isn't the only one who benefits."

Mia found herself blushing furiously. She rarely sang and she never let anyone hear it.

"If you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen doing dishes," She muttered, making a quick retreat.

Her exit was blocked when Anakin stood in front of her.

"Mia, you're not my maid, I'll take care of the dishes," He told her.

"Thank you," She said, turning to her room to retire for the evening.

Sometimes Anakin baffled her, he'd seem cold and stand-offish one minute, the next minute he'd be kind and helpful. His mood swings could bug the crap out of her.

March 16th, Seven months post Galactic Empire

Jedrick Kaz groaned and got up to pour himself another cup of coffee. It was late into the night and he'd just gotten the final results of his search. Well, sooner or later he'd have to contact Claus and tell him about the dead end. There was only one birth certificate within the last year with Leia as a first name besides Leia Skywalker, but the other little girl had two twi-lek parents and was barely two months old.

Claus nodded after receiving the news, knowing there was more to this.

"Is it possible they changed her first name too?" He asked Jedrick.

"I doubt it, personally. Frequent name changes would confuse the little girl and I don't think whoever's caring for her would do that," The bounty hunter answered, "It's likely her birth certificate hasn't been registered under any planet's database yet. Some planets don't even have databases and others don't require immediate registration. If it's the latter she'd be registered into their database after receiving some sort of medical care."

Jedrick sighed. "But if you have someone like Rosslyn who has medical training and is trained to work with children and knows about proper child development, outside medical care might not be necessary."

"As long as Leia is healthy, she probably won't be registered into any medical database," He concluded, "Luke however, he was getting regular checkups in Kail and that will make him and Obi-wan easier to find."

"What alias did Obi-wan give Luke Skywalker?" Claus inquired.

Jedrick dug through all the printed documents on his table. "Last name Naberrie, wonder why."

Claus sighed, "Your guess is as good as mine," He answered, weariness leaking into his voice.

March 27th, Seven months post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan shook his head at the mess Luke had made. He really didn't like spoon feeding, or rather he preferred to make human art with it. This time it was cold apple sauce because Luke was teething again and that seemed to help with the pain. At the moment little Luke was on the floor of his apartment in Pallaxides, a small planet in the outer rim.

There was a nearby clinic three blocks away, a park a short walk away and a market nearby. Shame he had to pick a planet in the middle of summer yet again, and he thought Kail was bad.

The man in his late thirties sighed as he cleaned up all the apple sauce. Glancing back at Luke he watched the little boy stack little blocks in three towers. Picking up Toothless he walked over to Luke.

"Hey Luke, you want to play?" Obi-wan asked in a ridiculously high pitched voice, moving the stuffed animal.

The little boy grinned and reached for Toothless. Obi-wan grinned back and nudged Toothless a little closer. Sometimes it reminded him of what Mia was like, when she was really young and still just learning sign language. She always liked to make trouble. Around the time she was five she started to walk off in a random direction and look at Obi-wan like she expected him to follow, which he always did, until she found a place she liked. Sometimes he wondered what Anakin was like at that age, but his guess is he was just as mischievous then as he'd always been.

April 1st, Seven months post Galactic Empire

Anakin leaned over Leia's crib and smiled. His daughter was sleeping peacefully, little baby curls popping out of her head. He was amazed at how much she already looked like Padme, all the right coloring, the same eyes and nose.

"Good morning Princess," He whispered.

Leia stirred and opened her eyes. Those very chocolate eyes stared up at him in delight, a small smile on her lips. She reached out for her father and Anakin picked her up.

He thought she was absolutely perfect. Today he had her all to himself. Mia was going to run errands and then she had plans with Vivi to have lunch together. He had so much planned for the two of them. They were going to the meadow to play in the grass and read.

"I have so much planned for us," Anakin whispered as he brought her down the stairs to have breakfast.

It was midmorning and Mia was already gone. Anakin sat his little girl in her high chair and set a small bowl of cereal in front of her. Sitting down with a fresh cup of coffee he grinned as Leia fed herself. She was really growing up. He could remember when she was just a tiny little baby, new to the world.

In the meadow he set down a book in front of Leia. Mia said reading to her was really good right now because it taught her new words. Leia looked up at him and made a weird hand gesture. Anakin watched her make it over and over again. It occurred to him after a moment that the sign was 'love' but reversed. She followed it up with the sign for 'Daddy'

"I love you too," He whispered, wishing this moment would never end.

April 7th, Eight months post Galactic Empire

_**Mia stared at the metal wall of the ship, filled with anxiety. How was she supposed to feel when her chances of becoming a Jedi had crumbled to dust? This ship was bound for a planet where they had a Agricorps base. Sure, they told her about the nice facilities and that everyone was nice and she wouldn't be the only person who wanted to become a Jedi there. That didn't help anything. Not one bit. Her eyes snapped to attention as Jedi Knight Claus Greyback walked out of the cockpit.**_

"_**We're coming out of hyperspace," He told her gently.**_

_**He helped her strap into the seat so she wouldn't be flying into walls during the rocky turbulence coming out of hyperspace could sometimes do. Mia stared at the wall again and willed herself not to cry. She refused to act like a child about this. Still, she felt small and tiny, years younger than thirteen. The act of landing and removing the straps confining her to the seat passed in a blur. Mia was suddenly aware of what was going on when she laid eyes on the long rows of crops, stretching as far as her sight could reach. She was aware of the heat, the sound of teenagers laughing, the colors of the leaves and fruits. The impact of her surroundings hit her and she tried desperately not to cry. Instead she walked behind Claus Greyback, trying to hide behind him so they wouldn't notice her presence.**_

_**An older man with a thick tan and a round belly walked up to them and glanced at her for a moment before looking at the Jedi Knight.**_

"_**This the new arrival, the girl with the hearing impairment?" He asked Claus.**_

_**Mia scowled, how she hated being judged for her inability to hear naturally.**_

"_**This is Mia Rosslyn," Claus informed him somberly, sounding just as sad about this as she was. The fact that he chose to use her preferred name over her full name wasn't lost on her either.**_

_**The man's eyes shifted to her again and she masked her scowl into something of confusion. Let him think she was helpless, she didn't care at the moment.**_

_**The man sighed through his nose, clearly not pleased with the circumstances. "I need to talk to my supervisor at the moment, you wait right here."**_

_**Mia watched him walk through the crop rows before turning her gaze to her feet.**_

"_**What's wrong?" She heard Claus ask, but by his tone she knew he knew damn well what was wrong.**_

_**She didn't answer, there was no need to. Instead Mia focused her efforts on being brave. Claus knelt down so they were closer to eyelevel and she was forced to look at him. Her teary gaze met his grey eyes and nothing at all was alright with this. She looked away.**_

"_**It'll be alright," He assured her.**_

_**Mia shook her head. "Nothing is alright about them just giving up on me or anyone else forced to come here," She told him stubbornly.**_

"_**No, it isn't right," He agreed sadly, "But sometimes the Force leads us down paths we don't think we want. We can't see the outcome before us or in any path we might have taken but sometimes it's for the best. Maybe something here awaits you and only you."**_

"_**Yeah, a couple of fruits in need of picking," Mia stated sarcastically.**_

_**She returned her eyes to Claus and nodded, "I hope you're right," She murmured.**_

_**Over his shoulder Mia could see the tanned man and a new face approaching her quickly. They wore a grave expression and carried something in her hands. She nudged Claus and he looked to see them and stood up fully.**_

"_**You need to take her back," The other man stated, "We can't have her here. It's a hazard, we have large machines and if she can't hear them coming she could endanger her and everyone else."**_

_**Mia stuffed down the desire to roll her eyes. If it meant they wouldn't take her she'd let them think she was helpless.**_

"_**We already explained this to your Jedi friends on Coruscant, didn't they tell you?" The tanned man questioned.**_

_**Claus shook his head. "They didn't but I'll bring her back. We'll see what we can do."**_

_**He turned to her, grinning from ear to ear, which genuinely surprised the thirteen year old, "Come along Mia," He told her, walking back to the ship.**_

_**Mia followed him up the ramp, almost skipping. Maybe they'd find her a master. It was later they found out Ki-Adi-Mundi was supposed to inform them but failed to do it in time. Still he smiled at them and shrugged. These things happen, he had stated. After the transmission Claus turned to her, looking happy or hopeful.**_

"_**Maybe they'll allow you a second chance to find a master," He suggests, "I could choose you. Would you like that?"**_

_**Mia grinned, nodding.**_

Her eyes opened to the flashing of her alarm clock. Sitting up, she disabled both the flashing and beeping alarms before sitting there in bed, completely confused. She hadn't thought about her almost-master in a long time. It almost happened but then Obi-wan insisted on teaching her and Anakin at the same time and the Council went with that instead. Master Greyback had always been very kind to her but it was the sort of kind that wasn't based on pity—like most others—it was genuine because he saw her, the person behind the disability. She didn't see him much over the three years of the war—which seemed so long ago—but she did have the chance join him in a mission, right after her nineteenth birthday.

After a few more minutes of thought, which mostly revolved around Mia wondering if Master Greyback was still alive, she got up and got dressed before heading down to make coffee. Anakin came down for the smell of very bitter, very strong coffee and for a while they just sat there, drinking coffee.

Anakin made a small motion to get her to look his way, "_What's on your mind?_" He inquired, concern shifting into his expression as he signed the words.

Mia sighed. "_I was just thinking about Claus Greyback, I wonder if he's still alive_."

Silence passed through them. They had no idea how many Jedi survived. A few had, the important ones listed on the top of the Empire's most wanted list. The entire council was dead so how many more could have survived?

"_What brought this up?_" Anakin asked finally, trying to swallow down the guilt of what he'd done. He honestly didn't want Mia to remind him why it wasn't his fault, because it was his fault.

She looked up at him, seeing through him instantly but knowing it wouldn't be of any use to talk to him about that night. She didn't think he'd ever open up about it, just hide in the shadows and pretend it never happened because it hurt too much to think about.

"_I had a dream of that time when they sent me to the Agri-Corps_," She signed, "_That was when he told me that he wanted to take me on as an apprentice, and it almost happened…_" She trailed off, her hands slowing and falling through the air.

"_But then Obi-wan convinced the council_," He finished her sentence, "_Do you think we'd still be here if Master Greyback had taught you?_"

"_We were a team, there were situations where we needed each other and our lives depended on it_," Mia murmured, her hands moving slowly with her words, "_I don't think any of us would still be here. I think a lot of people would have died_."

* * *

So, approximately 40 of you actually made it to chapter three, which surprises me because almost nobody likes OC's. I'd love to say I ship Padme/Anakin but after the whole 'losing the will to live thing' I really lost respect for her character. Also, there are so many Anakin redemption stories were Padme lived, eh...

Anyway, I've been posting a chapter once a day and, so far, I have nine chapters completed. Look for the next chapter tomorrow.


	5. Still I Hope that Things Look Up

To the lovely person who reviewed yesterday (Guest) I wanted to give a reply. Okay, so I did look it up and there are mixed responses on age but I'm pretty sure that in Phantom Menace he was 9, then ten years later in Attack of the Clones, 19 and then the Clone Wars lasted 3 so that makes him 22. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter much to me because this story is already so far off canon that being wrong about age really doesn't phase me. Thank you so much for reviewing, it means so much to me because I was worried everyone just hated the story and that really made my day!

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April 21st, Eight months post Galactic Empire

_**Anakin groaned as he was slammed into a wall of the dark room, his breath escaping his lungs. Everything hurt. He opened his eyes to see the dark figure in the distance raise its hands, blue light touching his fingertips. Closing his eyes, Anakin braced himself for yet another dose. Then it hit him, bolts of lightning energy shooting through his body in waves. His back arched and everything seemed to last forever in never ending pain.**_

_**He met the ground hard, the Sith lightning dispersing from his body. He knew he shouldn't but he couldn't help but close his eyes. Let the next attack come, he just wanted to rest. He was too tired to fight back anymore.**_

"_**Anakin, now is the time to get up."**_

_**He had to have imagined that. Anakin could hardly remember his voice now. Opening his eyes he came face to face with Qui-gon Jinn. The man was surrounded in mist, dressed in his Jedi robes with his lightsaber clipped to his belt.**_

"_**Master Qui-gon?" He mumbled, squinting in the white mist that seemed to take over the darkness.**_

_**The man smiled sadly. "You've grown up since I last saw you. Now come on, we can't stay here," He held his hand out for Anakin to take.**_

_**He lingered a moment, trying to catch up, before taking the hand and letting Qui-gon heave up his tired body. Looking around, Anakin found that they were along. Darth Sidious was gone and his guards where nowhere to be seen. The entire room itself was gone. Shakily he followed Qui-gon into the mist to a door. Opening the door, the aged Jedi Master motioned for Anakin to step forward and into the room. Suddenly Anakin found himself in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, restored to its glory, back before the Jedi Purges. **_

"_**What do you see?" He asked Anakin, his voice gentle and encouraging.**_

"_**The Room of a Thousand Fountains," He answered quietly.**_

_**The roar of water filled his ears and the smell of the plants filled the air. They were surrounded in a green light, the plants swaying with artificial wind. It was beautiful. Qui-gon stepped towards a fountain several meters away and dipped his hand in the water.**_

_**He turned and smiled at Anakin. "You can still feel the coldness of the water."**_

_**Out of curiosity Anakin stepped forward to see if the older man was right. His fingers grazed the water's surface, sending ripples across the gently flowing fountain. Indeed, he could feel the chill of the water and the way it flowed against his fingers.**_

"_**If only my nightmares were this peaceful," He murmured to himself.**_

_**Qui-gon grinned, a grin that split his face up and made him look years younger. "And if I could tell you there was a way to gain some sort of control on these dreams?" He asked.**_

"_**Then I'd try it," Anakin answered the question simply.**_

"_**But it is never as easy as all that," He reminded the young man. "The problem you face with your nightmares is that you do not try to take some sort of control on the world around you. The universe is different, yes, and at the moment you have no power over that but you don't exercise over the things you can control."**_

_**Anakin frowned and looked back down at the fountain's waters, his fingers removed and resting at his side. "What would you have me do?" He muttered dismally.**_

"_**I urge you to meditate. Even when the world around you is out of your own control, your handle on it is yours and yours only to control. Through meditation you can find the calm and the resolve your conviction lacks."**_

Before he could reply to Qui-gon's response a mist surrounded him and he found himself in his room, curled up in the blankets of his bed. His entire body was tense, every muscle ready to jump at the slightest providence.

April 23rd, Eight months post Galactic Empire

It was a quiet morning, the sun hadn't even risen yet, though gold light permeated through the dark blue sky. Silently Mia tiptoed across the hall, always careful not to make too much noise. Cracking open the door to Anakin's room, she peaked inside, expecting him to still be in bed. The room was empty though, which confused her. Deciding against checking every room, Mia stretched out her senses, searching for his force signature. To her surprise, not only was it outside but it was glowing brighter than it had in months.

"What is he doing outside this early in the morning?" She grumbled as she went down stairs.

There was a small space outside and behind the house, roughly four by three meters in size and the only way to get there was to either go around the side of the house or into the forth, unused bedroom with a set of doors leading into the backyard. She found Anakin sitting on the square of pavement in front of the doors, his back to her and in a meditation pose. Biting back a smile that he was finally taking her advice, Mia slipped out the room and headed towards the kitchen, deciding she'd hold off on breakfast until Anakin was done meditating, opting for coffee instead.

Thirty minutes later she sensed him heading inside and looked up in time to see him walk into the kitchen. "Were you meditating?" She asked him, her eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

He nodded mutely as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"I can't remember the last time you meditated for the sake of meditating," She murmured, more to herself than Anakin.

He laughed, it was deep and warming in the way it rumbled in his throat, the sound of making Mia smile because it had been a long time since she'd heard such a carefree laugh. "That's because I never meditated unless someone was forcing me to before."

Leaning back in her chair, she watched as he sat down next to her, "Is this a regular thing now?" She asked him, keeping the hopefulness out of her voice because she could see the difference.

A small smile broke through on his face, "Has been for the last few days," He murmured.

"What brought on this sudden desire to sit in place for an hour or more and contemplate your place in the universe?" She asked, smiling.

Anakin took a long sip of his coffee before answering that. "Three nights ago I had this weird dream I was talking to Qui-gon, it felt real, all of it felt real and he was telling me to meditate."

Mia scoffed. "Figures, that was his go to reaction for everything, 'I urge you to meditate on this' and it would drive Obi-wan crazy because he never got a straight answer to his questions."

Anakin smiled because he really didn't know all that much about Qui-gon. He knew the man for a few days, a week at most and suddenly he was gone. Growing up, Obi-wan rarely talked about him, still grieving slowly and silently for years. Every now-and-again Mia would tell him a story or something small like how Qui-gon taught her about herbs in teas.

Mia spoke again, breaking his train of thought. "So let me get this straight, when I suggested meditation months ago you blew me off. But when you have a random dream of Qui-gon Jinn telling you the same thing you jumped to do what he said," She questioned, sounding annoyed, but the amusement in her eyes gave her away.

"Yeah, I think you've pretty well summed it up there," He answered teasingly.

She shrugged, smiling "Well alright then, I just hope he tells you to fix the speeder, it's been acting weird lately," Mia mentioned, taking a sip of her coffee.

"I'll get on that tonight," Anakin agreed.

Standing, Mia started gathering the ingredients to make breakfast. Anakin watched silently for a few minutes before getting up and going upstairs to wake Leia up.

April 29th, Eight months post Galactic Empire

It was some crap diner at a space port on a small rock of a moon that orbited a planet engrossed in civil war—not that the Empire cared about that—and Claus didn't care much for the noise or the cleanliness but it would do. Besides, their coyote noodles and onion soup was actually pretty good, believe it or not. Jedrick took another long sip of his beer before reaching for his brief-case—which he rarely brought with him unless it was supposed to carry important papers. Pulling a document out of an unmarked file, he handed it to Claus to examine. It was just a rental document but it was a lead.

"I take it Obi-wan is renting something?" Claus guessed.

"An apartment in Baliese under another alias of Ben Dijinn, but the signature is similar enough to the documents under Ben Kenobi that I doubt it's anybody but Kenobi. Seems he wised up a little on health care, Baliese has no medical database," Jedrick explained.

"I think I'll pay him a visit this time around," Claus murmured.

Jedrick nodded apathetically, "Have fun," Was all he said.

May 2nd, Nine months post Galactic Empire

On a fuel station deep in space Claus waited as the dugs refilled his ship. He was on his way to Baliese and he was another twenty four hours away. If he had it his way, though, the dugs would have finished a long time ago. There was a sudden metal on metal clanking as a piece of his ship went rolling away. There was swearing and pushing between the three refueling the ship before the culprit went and got it back. Claus sighed and not for the first time.

"Maybe if they weren't drunk out of their minds I'd be on my way by now," He muttered to himself, fed up with the wait.

Behind him he heard another ship landing, likely in need of fuel as well. Still, nine months of waiting to be hunted down had him looking over his shoulder anyway. It was a small freight ship and the pilot, a middle aged human man, and his copilot, a young twi'lek man, walked down the ramp and towards the nearest attendant. That relaxed Claus a little and he returned to watching the drunken dugs shuffle around, being slow and almost completely useless. After another fifteen minutes of waiting they had it finished and he was paying at the counter. It was then that he noticed the televised newscast, a human woman with too much makeup telling everyone the current list of Jedi fugitives. They only showed the top ten but he stopped to watch, whether to depress himself or find some sort of optimism in it, he had no idea. Of course, top of the list was Anakin Skywalker. The kid was lucky if he made it anywhere in public. Frankly he couldn't care less about what happened to Skywalker, he was behind the Empire rising. The man could disappear off the face of the planet and he wouldn't have a problem with it.

They went down the list but Claus noticed the two names that were left out of it, two good friends of his who he fought alongside in the war. Frowning, he watched till the end of the list.

"Nine, Mialera Rosslyn," The woman announced, showing a picture of Mia from when she was officially knighted, followed by a few clips of her from back during the war. They didn't mention that she was deaf. Why, he knew not, though he suspected it was because her hearing problem was never officially announced to the public and explaining it would just make rebels like her more.

Force, this Empire wasn't even a year old and it had rebels.

Scowling, Claus turned and left the small office of the fuel center, grabbing his change hastily as he hurried to his ship.

May 3rd, Nine months post Galactic Empire

Claus walked down the street, eyeing everyone around him and surveying the buildings up and down the street. Initially he'd planned to just show up as a surprise, he and Obi-wan had been good friends, but considering his aggression towards Jedrick, he was having second thoughts about that. After some debate with himself, he decided that, even if Obi-wan did show aggression, he could take the man. Even then, sneaking up on him wouldn't be very wise either. It was better, he concluded, to be honest and forth coming from the start.

He found the apartment building and found it to be rather run-down. The walls were crumbling and even some of the windows had broken glass. The side alley was littered with graffiti, most of it mocking the Empire. He couldn't disagree there. Strangely, the place reminded him a bit about the underground slums of the city in Coruscant, though only a little.

Taking in a deep and calming breath, Claus walked into the building, looking for the right apartment number. He found it on the top floor of the eight story building where the lift didn't work. He mused that Kenobi must either be in great shape or never planned to leave his apartment, let alone his floor. Finally he found the right apartment and knocked on the door. No reply. Knocking again, the Jedi Master waited for a response that did not come. Finally he tried the door, surprised to find that it wasn't locked. The entire apartment was empty, save for a rickety old table with a letter on it.

**To Whoever Finds This,**

**I know you sent that bounty hunter on me, and if you know who I am then you know why I can't afford to be found. Nice try though, trying to find me. As you can guess, this is a dummy apartment, kept rented by a friend who owes me a favor. Don't come looking for me or you will not like what you find.**

He left it unsigned.

Growling in frustration, he flipped the table. How hard could it possibly be to find three people?

May 10th, Nine months post Galactic Empire

He was fresh from work and he felt the strong need for a shower. Unlocking the door—because he insisted it be locked at all times—he stepped in, locking it behind him with the Force. He found Mia sitting with Leia at the couch. Leia was busy playing with the long strands of black hair while Mia was watching the news. He didn't know why she bothered anymore, it was all the same. Empire propaganda here, Jedi hate there, Emperor Palpatine that, Darth Brutus did this.

"Hey," He greeted as he pulled his light jacket off and hung it up on the hooks by the door.

"Hey," Mia sighed, looking over at him with a frown on her face.

He looked at the screen and the two news reporters taking up the screen, both male and human. Anakin didn't quite know when it happened but suddenly every important position was only available to humans and anything not human was treated as lesser. It was even starting to echo into the outer rim.

"Why do you watch that crap?" Anakin asked her dubiously, scrubbing his hand over his face, completely unaware that he'd gotten a dark smudge of who-knows-what on his left cheek.

Mia forced a smile and looked back at the screen, "Because I want to know if I have to run for my life again," She muttered. "They're about to list the Empire's top ten most wanted, want to see if you're still in the lead?" She asked, sarcasm leaking into her voice.

Pausing for a moment, Anakin bit his tongue in thought. He honestly couldn't bear to watch any more of that crap but his curiosity won over and he sat down next to her, shifting Leia into his lap. A few minutes later they aired the list of the most wanted.

Of course he was top on the list. Again.

It wasn't lost on them which Jedi were missing from the list since last week. They sighed as they watched the war clips of the most wanted Jedi.

"Number Nine," One of the announcers started, "Mialera Rosslyn."

Everything stopped for them. Mia felt numbness and shock take over. Anakin felt cold dread and anger swell in him. They watched the old war clips, one of them being the mission were Mia and a small squad of clone troopers had sabotaged a giant Separatist ship, taking out a new weapon. They didn't even notice number ten—who wasn't even a Jedi, just a terrorist leader on Coruscant.

"What do we do?" Mia murmured, barely managing to even talk.

Anakin looked at her carefully, "Mia, I'm number one on their list, top priority here. Nobody knows it's me," He started, determined to reassure her.

She gave him a dry look, "You cut your hair and grew out a beard," She reminded him before muttering, "I still think the beard is stupid."

Then her eyes flickered up to his hair, longish on top but short on the sides so that some of his loose waves were visible but nobody could really recognize him. Suddenly she knew what she had to do. Standing up, she rushed out the living room and up the stairs to the bathroom.

"Mia, what are you doing?" He called as he hurried up the stairs, baffled.

He found her in the bathroom, clutching a pair of scissors in her hand. He stilled as he noticed her hand was shaking faintly.

"Mia," He started, not sure what to say.

"It'll make it harder to recognize me," She whispered like she was trying to convince herself, "Nobody's ever seen me with short hair."

She looked up at him, her eyes wide and frightened. Reaching out, Anakin grasped the scissors in her hand but didn't take them from her.

"You don't have to," He told her gently, "Isn't there a thing about that on your home planet? About not cutting your hair short until marriage?"

Mia bit her lip for a moment before nodding slowly, not able to form words. Taking her hand, he slowly unwrapped her fingers from the scissors and placed them on the counter before pulling her into a tight hug.

"Don't change," He murmured, placing his chin on her head, "I don't want you to change."

She sniffled, "What choice do I have," She muttered bitterly.

"Mia, I won't let anything happen to you," He assured her, "I promise."

Nodding, Mia buried her head into Anakin's shirt, feeling safe, if only for a moment. She smiled because somebody didn't want to change her. That so rarely happened. Pulling away, she looked up into Anakin's very blue eyes, forcing a smile that he returned.

May 19th, Nine months post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan looked around the sleazy hole-in-the-wall that somehow passed for a drinking establishment. Luke was sitting with a baby-sitter, but not by Obi-wan's choice. If it was his choice he'd never have to leave the boy alone with anyone, but funds were low and Obi-wan had to make some quick cash to make rent. So of course he was resorting to some deceitful tricks he picked up from his former master, Qui-gon, namely, hustling. And here he saw an opening, some poor man had lost about a hundred at a game of pool, his opponent laughing with a buddy as he set down the pool stick. Standing with his half drained drink, Obi-wan approached the man, purposely looking intoxicated despite the fact he hadn't even finished his first drink. The winner, his build thick and the air around him confident, turned to look at Obi-wan.

"I'm next," He muttered, picking up the pool stick.

The man looked him over. Obi-wan knew his appearance was a little sloppy but he didn't really care at the moment. Finally the man nodded and began to set the next game up. Three missed shots and a near miss later, he had the stranger right where he wanted him. Tossing his friend a glance, the man turned to Obi-wan.

"Want to make this more interesting?" He suggested.

Obi-wan raised an eyebrow, "Interesting how?" He questioned slowly.

"Say, if I win, you pay me a hundred credits, if you win, I pay you a hundred," He replied.

Pretending to think this over for a moment, Obi-wan nodded. He purposely lost the game, but only so he could earn it back and then some.

By the end of the night he had near three hundred credits, enough to pay his rent. Another night or two of this and he could pay for food, Luke's recent checkup bill and anything else they needed. It wasn't honest but getting a job on a planet where unemployment was the norm made it hard for Obi-wan to find work.

June 4th, Ten months post Galactic Empire

The evening was slow and tired, a warm air leaking through the open kitchen window as Mia stirred the soup around in the pan. She was making enough for four so that she wouldn't have to do much for lunch tomorrow. Behind her stood the makings of a salad and in the pantry was a fresh loaf of bread from a bakery in town. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched as Anakin tried, with no progress, to feed Leia mashed carrots. He'd tried everything that had worked on the crèche children from their "volunteering" days. The speeder antics were getting old.

"She doesn't like mashed carrots," Mia commented.

"And how would you know?" Anakin asked her challengingly.

"Look at yourself, there's more on you than her," She stated with a smirk before adding: "Hate to think how much of that actually ended up in her belly."

Anakin rolled his eyes. "I don't see you helping me," He retorted.

"She doesn't fall for the speeder crap, try something more original, like making faces," She suggested as she stepped out of the kitchen for something.

Turning back to Leia, he tried sticking his tongue out. That at least got a smile but didn't get her to open her mouth wide enough to spoon feed her. Puffing his cheeks out instead, he watched as Leia laughed hysterically and spooned a heaping amount of mashed carrots in her mouth. There was a flash and Anakin looked up to see Mia grinning wickedly, a camera in her hands.

"You'll burn that photo," He demanded.

"Don't think you can make me, Skywalker," She replied with a satisfied smirk before turning and leaving with a fresh picture in her hands.

Groaning, Anakin looked at Leia, sighing at the mess that had been made. He barely noticed Mia walking in.

"Leia," She called sweetly, getting the girl's attention. "Would you like a banana?" She asked, signing the words as she held out a banana.

Parroting the banana sign, Leia held her hand out for the banana, waiting impatiently as Mia chopped it up into small, eatable pieces before giving it to her. Anakin watched as Leia pinched a piece of banana and stuck it in her mouth, eating happily. Turning, Anakin gave Mia an awed look.

"How'd you do that?" He questioned.

Mia grinned, "One, she likes sweet things, so bananas are great. Two, if you sign it to her, it gets her attention." She smirked again, "Dinner's almost ready but, if I were you, I'd take the time to change first."

About to ask what was wrong with what he was wearing, he looked down to see that most of his shirt was covered in some sort of orange slime, the words dying in his throat. Sighing, he stood up and left to go change.

June 15th, Ten months post Galactic Empire

Mia watched with amusement as Anakin sat at the kitchen table, Leia sitting in her high chair. This was the start of many sessions in getting Leia to speak verbally. Because of sign language they'd been able to understand what she wanted but sooner or later the girl would need to learn to speak too.

"Can you say Dada?" Anakin asked Leia, cooing at her.

She gurgled. Then burped. Mia laughed at him from her spot, leaning against the counter with a cup of tea in hand. Turning, she flipped the two fillets of fish over in the pan, smiling at the nice white color of the fish and the pleasant smell of pepper and lemon. One good thing, Anakin sometimes mused, about having Mia around was she could cook. Anakin could cook, it would come out bland and sometimes a little to crispy but it was usually edible.

He looked up as Mia set down a plate of fish and vegetables down next to him before sitting down with her own food, watching with amusement as he continued to try and teach Leia to talk.

"Say Dada!" He cooed, not giving up even as he stuck a bite of fish in his mouth.

"I'm betting her first words will be some sort of Huttese curse," Mia told him in a voice so sugary-sweet it was sarcastic. Anakin glared at her. "What? You certainly use them enough," She defended.

"Oh, and you don't?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I do," She admitted a little too casually before quickly adding, "In my head," Her voice gloating.

"Master Obi-wan said it's not the Jedi way to gloat," Anakin reminded her, eyes narrowed.

"We're not padawans anymore and Master Obi-wan can't tell us to do shit," Mia mocked, then, upon realizing her mistake, clapped her hands over her mouth.

Anakin was about to gloat when she exclaimed, "Quick, say something before she picks it up!"

"Bantha you-know-what you never say anything bad," Anakin gloated, feeling victorious.

"Whatever happened to 'Master Obi-wan' and 'gloating is not the Jedi way', hmm?" She inquired, waving her fork with her words.

"Well, I seem to recall you pointing out we're not padawans. I also don't see Obi-wan here to scold either of us," He reminded her with a smirk.

"You're so irritating," Mia complained before taking a long sip of her tea to hide her amusement at their returning banter. They didn't do this often, he was rarely in the mood to keep it up.

"And you're a pain." Anakin fired back. "But I keep you around because you can cook."

She raised an eyebrow, "Oh, so that's why you keep me around," She laughed dryly.

"Well, that and you clean," He added, smirking.

She rolled her eyes at that but laughed all the same. She'd truly missed it and, if the light in his eyes was anything to go by, he did too. Maybe things were starting to return to normal. Well, as normal as they could be. She didn't mind though, as long as Anakin and Leia were happy, she was happy.

It wasn't until after she'd washed the dishes that she realized just how far they had to go. It had happened as she'd been heading up the stairs that she felt it, a wave of longing and sadness. Creeping up the stairs, she peeked into Leia's room through the small two inch crack in the door. She found Anakin sitting in the rocking chair next to the crib, Leia sleeping in his arms.

"I wish you knew him," He whispered to his little girl, "I wish you had him here in your life. Someone to play with, someone you'll have with you for the rest of your life. I wish he was here just so I could hold him. I never really got to hold Luke, not really. It was so soon after your mom's death that I never really got the chance, not to enjoy it and appreciate it. You don't know how many firsts I've lost with him, his first tooth and his first word and the first time he walked, soon you'll both be a year old and I'll miss out on that too. That's time I can never get back."

Sensing he needed to just be alone, voice his thoughts to somebody who wouldn't talk back, she stepped away and into her room, closing the door silently. Sometimes she forgot he had a son too, even if he wasn't here and all the time he spent with Leia was a reminder of time he wasn't spending with Luke. She felt terrible about that, the kind of terrible words could never accurately describe.

June 15th, Ten months post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan sat down on the couch, Luke in his arms, fussing and wriggling around. It always seemed like this boy had somewhere he needed to be. Obi-wan knew why that was. He had a bond embedded in him, between Luke and his father and Luke and his sister Leia. Sometimes he doubted the wisdom of separating the boy from his family, even if it was for his own good, so that he wouldn't end up a Sith like his father. He often wondered if Luke's frequent tantrums were a product of his family missing him and think about him. He may not be a father, not by bloodline, but he'd practically raised Mia and Anakin. Now he was raising Luke and while he could never fill the void left by father's absence, he could protect and love the boy just as he had done for Mia and Anakin, Jedi attachments be damned.

Then the boy stilled and looked up at him, his blue eyes so sad, too sad for a boy so young and small, not even a year old.

* * *

I know the story is moving slowly for the time being but it's mostly because after the Purges it took a while for the dust settle. Time moves a lot more quickly after the first year or so, which is, as you can see by the date, upon us.

Please review, it makes me so happy!


	6. But Nothing's Changed

July 27th, Eleven months post Galactic Empire

Darth Brutus watched the commotion around him. It was nearly the first anniversary of the Galactic Empire and his master, Emperor Palpatine had called him back to the capital for the festivities. Personally he dreaded it, politics and polite conversation did not come easy to him. Though, part of him blamed it on the fact that he saw very few people growing up, most of which hardly bothered with him. So he stood in the corner as his master conversed with several politicians. He noted that most kept their distance while maintaining a polite smile. He saw right through them, their unease drifted through the Force. What he found most amusing was that the Emperor seemed to do that purposely, set them at unease and pretend like all was normal, seemed to gain a sense of satisfaction from doing that. Looking away, the Sith apprentice looked over at the head of security—well, if you could call it that, he never really found the royal guard all that impressive—as he made orders to some of his men. The woman organizing the gala to celebrate the first year of the Empire fluttered around the room, making instructions and adjusting notes here and there.

Then the dark but familiar presence of his master slithered towards him. Turning to look at the old man, dressed in dark but very formal robes, Darth Brutus bowed.

"Come Darth Brutus, we have plans to make," The Sith stated before turning and walking towards the door, his apprentice on his heels.

"I'm afraid you won't be attending the gala," Darth Sidious told him like it was the worst tragedy. It wasn't and he was sure his master was overall very apathetic as a whole on Darth Brutus's overall existence. The young Sith knew full well he was very replaceable and his master would jump at the opportunity of a better apprentice.

"I've got a mission for you," The old man continued, "There's a mining planet on the out rim. As we speak right now there is a rebellion sparking. I want you to go there and crush it, make sure they're working on schedule."

He almost opened his mouth to ask what sort of schedule they were on but he knew better than to ask questions. "It will be done," He spoke the all-too-familiar words.

August 2nd, One year post Galactic Empire

It was the twins' birthdays and today Anakin and Mia were throwing Leia a small birthday party that consisted mostly of inviting their neighbors, Vivi and Drek Haln and their son and daughter. Demi had her first birthday two months ago and Elson was about a year or so older than Leia. They'd also invited the Hawthorns who had a slightly younger boy named Mernov. Mia had been in charge of getting Leia ready and taking care of the cake, Anakin was in charge of decorations and getting the food.

Mia had Leia dressed in a pretty green dress and her mess of brown curls in a nice white bow before Anakin had gotten back with the food. Fortunately the cake was taken care of, she'd made it the night before and decorated it. She ended up helping Anakin with the decorations since he was running behind on food—apparently the local markets were a mess, everyone was having a party of some sort to celebrate the start of the Empire. Anakin and Mia both rolled their eyes at that, sickened by the thought of anyone celebrating an abomination like that.

It wasn't long before the Hawthorns showed up with Mernov. Waving them in, Mia greeted them and asked how they were. Leia came toddling along, waving her hands to say 'hi' before tugging on Mia's skirt and asking in sign where her dad was.

"What's she doing?" Mr. Hawthorn asked, completely confused.

"She's asking where her dad is," Mia answered, not looking away from Leia before pointing upstairs. Satisfied, Leia turned her attention to Mernov, giggling as she motioned for him to follow her.

"We're teaching her sign language," Mia explained.

Mrs. Hawthorn turned to her husband, not at all phased by Leia's choice in signing over talking seeing as she'd spent many afternoons with Mia while Mernov played with Leia. "Children pick up languages before they can actually talk. They know what they want they just can't say it yet. Leia can sign though."

Mia smiled as she led them into the living room, "Yeah, though now we're getting her to talk," She told them, "Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Soda?"

"I'll take a soda please," Mr. Hawthorn requested. "Coffee for me," His wife added.

Turning, she went into the kitchen, keeping herself turned into the noise around her just in case one of them called for her. She heard Anakin coming down the stairs and greeting their guests. She walked in with the drinks to hear Mr. Hawthorn asking: "So Anku, what kind of work do you do?"

"I'm a mechanic," Anakin answered with a smile.

It took him a second to realize Anakin had been serious, which only confused him further. Mia didn't know much about real-estate to know how much their house was worth but she knew it was more than any mechanic could afford. That wasn't a problem though, Anakin made enough money that they didn't have to dip into his savings to pay the bills and Mia didn't have to get a job. Making her appearance known, Mia set the drinks down on the coffee table, taking a moment to look over her shoulder at where the children were playing with Leia's soft blocks—brought down from her room for this very purpose—giggling. Leia tried to sign something at Mernov but he didn't seem to notice, not that he'd know what she had to say anyway.

Sitting down on the loveseat next to Anakin, Mia smiled at the couple. "So how've you two been?"

Conversation drifted from work—Mr. Hawthorn was a banker and most of his stories about work were dull—to family—Mrs Hawthorn was having her mother come up from just south of the equator to visit them for a week—to what the children were doing.

"So how did you know to teach Leia sign language?" Mr Hawthorn questioned, curious.

Mia pulled a smile, "My grandmother was born deaf," She answered. It was the truth, the fact that her grandmother had died before she was born was of little importance.

The man opened his mouth to ask another question but Mia was saved from having to answer when the doorbell rung through the house, without the usual flashing lights. Jumping up right away to answer it, Mia found herself relieved to see Vivi and Drek, Demi and Elson rushing past her to play with Leia and Mernov.

"Man they're getting big," Mia murmured. "Come on in, the Hawthorns are already here."

Anakin and Mia found that conversation was a lot easier with two more adults, mostly because they'd known Vivi and Drek for a while and neither Anakin nor Mia had met Mr Hawthorn before. Eventually Mia insisted they start in on the food and the six ate as they watched the children play.

Then came the birthday cake. Anakin was actually really excited to see what sort of cake Mia had made because she'd chased him out of the kitchen with threats when he'd tried to watch. She wanted it to be a surprise. Then Mia walked out of the kitchen with a round chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, 'Happy Birthday Leia' scrawled perfectly across the face of the cake in pink frosting. Lighting the candle, the adults started in on singing Happy Birthday.

"_Blow out the candle_," Mia urged the little girl, signing the words.

"_Make a wish_," Anakin added in sign language.

Closing her eyes, Leia blew out the candle and what her wish was they'd never know but Mia and Anakin desperately hoped it would come true. Mia had the fun task of cutting the cake into ten slices.

It wasn't until the guests had left and Anakin had put Leia to bed that they realized how exhausting the day had been. Slumping against the wall, Mia sighed as she spotted Anakin walking down the stairs.

"_I'm exhausted_," She signed, her hands moving a little slower than usual. "_Come on, I've got a surprise for you._"

His eyebrows rose at that, confused at what she could possibly have in store for him. As he followed her into the kitchen he noticed a cake, completely whole and untouched. Confused even further, he took a closer look. It was identical to the cake he'd seen earlier but instead of pink frosting, it had blue frosting spelling out 'Happy Birthday Luke'

Completely stunned, Anakin stood there, shocked.

"I just figured that, even though he's not here now, he's out there somewhere, one whole year old and when we find him we'll be able to show him a picture of this cake, proof that we always think about him and that we miss him," She explained quietly, a camera in hand.

She was about to ask if he wanted to take the picture but was then pulled into a tight hug that had the air whooshing out of her lungs.

"Thank you," Anakin whispered before pulling away and taking the camera and taking a picture, saving it for all eternity. Pictures were forever and they told a story.

August 2nd, One year post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan sat at the park bench, watching Luke as he waddled through the grass, looking delighted to be there. He smiled, realizing that maybe he should take Luke to the park more often. Just seeing the smile on his face made it worth it. The boy giggled and waddled towards one of the boys playing in the sand, about two years older. He seemed surprised to see Luke but quickly warmed up, sharing his plastic bucket and shovel. Smiling at the boy, Obi-wan looked over at the two moms sitting off in the distance, keeping a close eye on their children as they chit-chatted. Then one of the children, a girl who looked to be about five, tripped and screamed, seeming to have scrapped her knee, calling for her mom.

Obi-wan sighed because recently Luke had started talking and Obi-wan knew what a normal kid's first words would be, 'mama' or 'dada' or something like that. Luke's first word had been a garbled version of 'Toothless' that came out more like 'Too'es' but Obi-wan knew what he met. The next word Luke learned was Ben. It made Obi-wan wonder about who he'd be calling to if his parents were here, completely whole and happy. But they weren't and wondering was making Obi-wan sad. Luke needed some sort of family, besides him that was, someone else to look up to as well.

October 18th, One year post Galactic Empire

Claus had given up on the search to find Mia, Anakin or Obi-wan. As far as he could tell they were all alive but none of them reachable. It wasn't until after the anniversary of the Empire that Claus heard anything about a rebellion. He knew a lot of people hated the Empire because it didn't have their interests in mind but he never realized there was an actual movement behind it. He was approached about it one day, from an old friend he'd never thought he'd ever see again. Jedi Master Eveerat had at one point been one of the Empire's most wanted, he made number three on the list before being presumed dead. Now he was on his way to the secret base of the Rebel Alliance on a deserted outer rim planet.

"We could really use your skills," Eveerat added on the trip there, making Claus wonder if he was referring to the fact that, before the war, before he became a general overnight, he'd worked in the healing ward or that, during the war, he had a ninety-two percent success rate. Very few Jedi topped that: Yoda, Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

Looking out the view window at the blur of blue around them, Claus silently hoped that he'd never have to see another battle field ever again, but hope had a funny thing about that, it breeded eternal disappointment.

January 6th, One year post Galactic Empire

Claus sat towards the back of the room, listening to Bail Organa, one of the Rebellion's leaders, go over a battle plan. There was a supply run from a local mining planet to Coruscant and rumor had it that it wasn't just gems and precious metals on that supply ship, there was some sort of weapon involved, what it was they couldn't gather. It was supposed to be their first active strike against the Empire. Their numbers were few but the right people in the right places could get the job done. It was going to be a six man team. Two men would be positioned as security guards, their job was to trip the alarm in the vault to create a distraction while a squad of three sabotaged freighter one-five-six-zero-seven, carrying the weapon to Coruscant, with one left to fly the extraction ship into the back hanger and pick them up.

Of course, Claus wasn't going to be there as a doctor—well he was, but there was more to it than that—he was supposed to help oversee the whole thing. A ninty-two percent success rate got the attention of the higher-ups.

Sometimes he wondered if anyone even remembered he used to heal, not kill. He missed those days.

January 9th, One year post Galactic Empire

Darth Brutus stood stationed behind the captain and co-captain of freighter one-five-six-zero-seven, the freighter Darth Sidious had been so concerned with. Truthfully, the young Sith had no idea what the weapon was, only that it was radioactive and that it wasn't found in the mines. Supposedly it was capable to powering a planet for a hundred years. It was secured in a vault capable of withstanding the firepower of a just about any ship out there to date. He watched as the captain and copilot raised the freighter into the air, working the controls like it was second nature. Then the unthinkable happened, red alerts flashed across the screens.

"What's happening?" He demanded, gripping onto the seats.

"Strap in, this is going to be a bit bumpy," The pilot ordered, "Everything's going to be alright."

It didn't take a genius, or even someone force sensitive, to know what nothing about this was going to end well. Several thousand feet into the air and they were losing altitude and quickly. Refusing to be a victim to a machine failure, he stood, stumbling towards where the emergency parachute packs were, strapping himself in with some difficulty. Then he faced the problem of having to find a way out and into the air. Suddenly part of the hull of the ship ripped apart, forcing all the air out. Darth Brutus found himself falling through the air, plummeting through the air. Pulling the chords the parachute, he breathed a sigh of relief as his descent slowed. Then a scrap of debris ripped his parachute, hitting him hard on the head. He plummeted again, maybe a hundred feet from the ground. He barely managed to slow his fall with the Force.

He closed his eyes, realizing he was going to die and somehow able to accept that, at least he went out fighting.

He felt the impact, felt his ribs breaking and his head hitting the ground painfully before all went black.

January 11th, One year post Galactic Empire

It was the smell of antiseptic that gave it away. The beeping and humming of machines only served as confirmation. Slowly he opened his eyes, finding himself in a medical facility with white walls and scratchy blankets. Two IV's, one sinking into his left elbow and one in the veins on his right hand. His chest hurt with every breath forced into him with the breathing tube. Panic ensued as he tried to move to pull it out but every movement hurt. The beeping of the machines speed up. Moments later a nurse walked in before rushing to his side.

"Sir, just hold still, you were hurt pretty badly," She told him calmly, "I'll get a doctor to pull the breathing tube out in a minute, just hold still."

Darth Brutus scowled—well, as best he could with his mouth pried open—giving her a hard glare that had her rushing out quickly. A few torturous minutes—that seemed to stretch into years—a man in a white coat walked in. His voice was calm, if a tad bit condescending, making the young Sith glare at him more.

Concussion, three broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, bruising

He'd had worse

"Alright, we're going to pull it out, you just cough for us," The doctor told him—he really couldn't be bothered to remember the man's name.

Placing his hands on the breathing tube, he told Darth Brutus to cough. Every cough made his chest burn with pain. Sadly, it didn't come anywhere near his pain threshold. Then it was over and he scowled at the doctor.

"I demand to be released now," He ordered, ignoring the cracking sound in his voice.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, your injuries are far too serious," The doctor told him, "Give it a few days, if you're feeling better, we'll release you but healing will take time. For now we can give you something to help with the pain."

He growled, "That won't be necessary," He all but yelled, "Do you know who I am?" The look on the nurse and doctor's face said it all. "I am Darth Brutus, second in command of the Empire and I demand that you release me."

They paled in realization.

"Leave, at once," He ordered, watching with satisfaction as they scuttled out.

Sitting up, despite the pain, he pulled his IV out of his elbow, followed by the IV in his hand. Slowly he stood up, stumbling towards the door before realizing he was in a hospital gown and had no pants. Turning, he looked for his armor or even a pair of pants and a proper shirt. He found them in a bag left on a chair next to his bed. The armor was cracked and in pieces, the clothing he wore under it had been cut off by the doctors. Turning, he looked out the door and down the hallway. Nurses passed here and there, checking in on patients. Turning, he waved at one of them, putting on as charming of a smile as he could.

"Do you think I could get some clothes?" He inquired before remembering that people often said 'please' when asking for something. "Please?" He added, trying not to choke on his words.

She looked at him for a moment before nodding, saying she'd be right back. Turning, he walked back to his bed, waiting until she appeared, bringing with her a set of blue clothing, similar to a nurse's uniform but more like pajamas. He took them anyway, waiting until she left to change, ignoring the pain he felt with every movement. He took a moment to go to the bathroom. What he saw in the mirror wasn't a pretty sight. A long cut stretched from his hairline past his temple to his eyebrow. There was bruising on the right side of his face and neck. Remembering he fell on his back, he lifted his shirt finding purple and red bruising that covered his entire back, painting the area around his ribs. Sighing, he pulled his shirt back down and walked out.

Sneaking out of the hospital was easy enough, it was finding a way to contact his ship, orbiting around the planet, to come down and retrieve him. It seemed luck was on his side though because his lieutenant had retrieved what remained of the cargo on the freighter and that included the safe that had, somehow, come out of the ordeal with only a few scrapes and everything inside intact.

January 13th, One year post Galactic Empire

Anakin watched by the doorway as Mia absent-mindedly looked out the window, looking completely lost in thought. Sighing, he walked in. Noticing him, she turned and met his eyes for a moment before returning her gaze to the window, looking out past the roofs to where the sun was rising.

"What's on your mind?" He asked her.

She sighed, "I just have this strange feeling like I have to be somewhere," She answered cryptically.

Nodding, Anakin looked out the window as well. He felt like that sometimes, like he should be somewhere else. Sometimes he thought that was because he could still sense Luke, somewhere in the universe he could sense his son. He'd only had a few days with his son before he was taken and they still shared a bond. Sometimes he thought it was because the bond with Obi-wan, faded and cracked, holding on by a thread, still existed. If he was being completely honest, he missed Obi-wan, he missed the way they used to be, before he lost himself to the dark side. He sighed, frowning as his thoughts drifted there, to the horrible memories he'd never be able to forget.

He looked to Mia, watching as she brought her grey eyes to his blue ones, a faint smile on her lips. "Why do you trust me?" He asked suddenly, "After everything I've done, why would you trust me?"

Her head tilted to the side, like she didn't really understand the question, finally she looked away. "Truthfully, I knew I shouldn't trust you, but I couldn't help it. Years of fighting by your side made me trust you, not because I had to, but because you earned it. I'll admit, I was scared when you went to the dark side, I was afraid we couldn't bring you back. The fight on Mustafar is my worst memory, nothing tops that."

She looked at him, her eyes sad, "But you came back, somehow you did what everyone thought was impossible. Watching you fight to stay in the light, to fight the dark side away, that earned my trust. Watching how you cared for Leia made me trust you. Trust isn't something you're given, it's something you earn and you earned it."

January 14th, One year post Galactic Empire

The news had made its way to Verron, late as usual, but it was all over the news. Mia and Anakin watched the footage of the freighter plummeting from the sky. There had been one survivor, Darth Brutus, second in command. Mia complained that, of course, the Sith had survived. Anakin muttered that it would have been better if he didn't. They didn't know what had caused the crash landing, only that a group of unknown terrorist were behind it. The Emperor gave a statement about his second in command, that he was brought home to the capital to recover. The way he said recover made shivers run down Mia's spine. Somehow, she doubted the Sith Lord's idea of recovery was the same as hers.

March 3rd, One year post Galactic Empire

Anakin woke up early, an hour before sunrise, he'd been doing this for a while now. Waking up and going outside to meditate for about an hour. Sitting down on the small square of concrete just outside the door, he crossed his legs, placing his hands on his knees and closing his eyes. Slowly, he breathed in through his nose, the calming smell of the early morning dew in the grass and the smell of wet bark filling his senses. Breathing out through his mouth, he repeated. With every breath he felt himself relaxing and every muscle in his body relieved of the usual tension. He felt himself slowly lose touch with his body, unable to even feel his hands or feet, the loss of feeling traveling up through his limbs until it was just his consciousness. It was just him and the Force, connected as one.

He began to feel the rise of the sun, the signal that it was time to stop. Slowly, he opened his eyes, remaining still as the world around him stilled as well. Standing slowly, aware that sometimes he felt a swing of vertigo if he moved too quickly, he walked back inside.

As he walked into the kitchen, he noticed that Mia hadn't woken up yet. Smiling with the sudden idea, he went upstairs and into her room, disabling the alarms so she could sleep in for a change. Going back downstairs, he started making breakfast. He was doing quite well, the eggs and bacon looked edible.

Then he smelled it, burnt toast.

He looked around, seeing the carnage, the destruction he'd inflicted on a place what was once home. He was soaked in blood, the blood of dead Jedi. The smell of burnt flesh made him sick. He turned, suddenly having no control over his body, and walked down the hall. He sensed it, a handful of small, weak Force signatures. He opened the door to the council chambers. Slowly, a youngling peaked out from behind one of the chairs. The boy was maybe nine, the age he was when he first came to the Temple.

"Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What are we going to do" He asked.

He watched in horror as he killed them, innocent and afraid and he killed them.

Someone gently touched his shoulder and, jumping back, he turned to see Mia, standing there in the kitchen of their house. "It's okay, you're safe Anakin," She assured him quietly.

He looked around, noticing how the toaster was smoking and the eggs and bacon were burnt. The smell made him sick. Mia gently tugged on the fabric of his shirt before taking his hand and leading him out into the living room and having him sit down before she went to open the kitchen window and toss the burnt food in the trash.

Anakin closed his eyes, waiting until she came and sat down next to him. "Do you want to talk about it?" She inquired, her voice soft.

He sucked in a breath, not knowing where to start, if he even wanted to tell her. What would she think of him if she knew? He killed younglings. That was unforgivable.

"Do you want to tell me what started it?" She tried.

He looked down at his hands, reminding himself that they weren't coated in blood and he wasn't there, he was home, with Mia and Leia. "The smell of burnt toast," He whispered, "That's how it smelled, that night."

Nodding, Mia shifted so that her legs were under her. Nodding, she gave him a reassuring smile, that he could trust her, that he could tell her everything.

"I killed younglings," He croaked, each words breaking in a different way, the sting of tears in his eyes.

Turning, Anakin looked for the anger and repulsion on her face, but he didn't find it. Instead he found calm and understanding and forgiveness in her eyes. They sat in silence for a moment.

"Say something," He pleaded, the tears threatening to fall.

"I already knew that," She whispered, looking down at her hands, "Obi-wan and I found the footage that night."

His eyes widened and a tear strayed, sliding down his cheek. Leaning forward slowly, she reached and wiped the tear away.

"There is nothing that can't be forgiven," Mia whispered, "All you have to do is ask."

"There's no forgiveness for what I did," He stated, eyes hardening and voice bitter.

She frowned, "Anakin, you weren't in control," She reminded him, "The dark side was poisoning your mind."

"I should have been in control," He insisted angrily, fueled by the anger he felt everyday towards himself.

"You couldn't have been in control," Mia reminded him, "Nobody can control the dark side."

Shaking his head, Anakin looked down, two small tear drops falling through the air and hitting his pants. Suddenly Mia took his hands in hers, forcing him to look at her.

"The past doesn't matter anymore, because you can't change it. What you can change is what happens now, the present is all that matters now," She told him firmly, leaving no room for disagreement, "So do what you can now and look forward instead of looking into the past."

They sat in silence, staring at each other for what seemed like eternity until, finally, Anakin nodded, not sure if he agreed but willing to try.

June 10th, One year post Galactic Empire

The sun made the meadow look alive with the way it lightened the grass and made the flowers seem brighter. The wind blew softly, made the tall grasses and their flowers sway like they were all part of some complicated dance. From under the shade Anakin watched as Leia ran through the grass, giggling, her long curls seeming to float in the wind. Mia chased after her, purposely going slow to make Leia think she was too fast to catch up. Then, in one sudden movement, Mia swooped down and picked Leia up in her arms, making Leia burst into giggles, before gracefully sitting down in the grass, legs criss-crossed and Leia in her lap. Mia leaned forward, looking at Leia with a wide grin. Smiling, Leia took hold of Mia's long hair, playing with it gently.

Anakin didn't know what it was or why he did it but he reached out to Mia through the bond. It was weak and crumbling with disuse but it was still there. Mia looked up in surprise, meeting his eyes as she smiled and gave him a gentle nudge back. He smiled, leaning back as Leia squirmed out of Mia's arms and went running towards him. She toppled over once but got up right away, running faster until she was in his arms.

Standing, Mia walked towards them, smiling as she noticed Anakin laughing and the way it rumbled in his throat, clearly heard from across the meadow. This was a good day, and it seemed as though the dark days becoming a fewer and far in between.

July 1st, One year post Galactic Empire

It was late and the moon was high in the sky. Leia was fast asleep in her bed—she'd outgrown the crib a while back. It seemed she slept easier but sometimes she had her nights where she refused to sleep. Sighing, Mia leaned against the counter, breathing in the citrusy smell of her tea. Today had been a quiet day, Anakin had been busy at work and Leia had spent most of her time following Mia around, copying everything she was doing. It was cute at first, the first few days she did it, but now it had been several weeks and Mia didn't know if she'd ever stop. Of course, Anakin found it absolutely hilarious, especially when Leia would mimic all Mia's signs, though a tad slower and sloppier because she didn't have a lifetime of experience like her role model did.

She felt a little nudge, in the back of her head, through the bond she and Anakin shared. Looking up at the ceiling, like she could see him, Mia's eyebrows furrowed. Slowly, she walked towards the stairs, going up to Anakin's room. She found him sitting on the bed, a silly grin on his face.

Before Mia could even speak, Anakin pulled out a small package from behind his back. It was wrapped and it was obvious Anakin wrapped it up himself, one of the corners wasn't covered and it was completely circumference by tape—a few times over. Her eyebrows furrowed together but a smile broke out onto her face.

"_Happy Birthday_," He signed with a grin.

She'd actually forgotten today was her twenty-third birthday. Taking it from his hands, she sat down on the bed next to him. Ripping open the wrapping paper, albeit with some difficulty considering the tape, she found in her hands one of her favorite books. She loved that book as a kid, she'd check it out from the archives every chance she got. Eventually Obi-wan just bought it for her. A tale about a princess and a knight running for their lives from the evil king who'd sentenced them to death under false charges of treason. She was in love with reading but this book was her favorite. During the war she carried it with her things, reading when she got a chance. Then one night, while she was on a mission, she came home to find their camp in flames and everything burnt to a crisp.

"_How did you get this?_" She asked in awe, her free hand moving slowly.

"_Saw it in a bookstore about a month ago_," He answered with a grin, "_Thought it'd be perfect for you_."

Before he knew it, Mia had him in a tight hug, thanking him quietly.

July 2nd, One year post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan looked out at the stars, dim under the smog of the capital city of Pallaxides. It was Mia's twenty-third birthday yesterday, one more year he'd missed out on. Last night he'd gone drinking and came home drunk. Thankfully the babysitter, a young Firrerreo with gold and white hair, had put Luke down for a nap and was understanding. She left shortly after he paid her. Sadly, he'd done the same thing on Anakin's twenty-fourth birthday last May.

Sometimes he wished he'd never gotten attached to them like he did but truthfully, how could he have not have. He was responsible for them, he'd taken care of them. Every cold, every bad day, every challenge, he'd been there for them. They'd been there for him too. One mission, back when they were both too young to come with, he came back injured. He was confined to bed rest and they took care of him, made sure he had everything he needed. They were a family and now they were separated. It had taken nearly two years to see it but he finally did. What happened wasn't Anakin's fault, not all of it. Obi-wan had been wary of Anakin's friendship with Palpatine, back when he was just Chancellor, but he hadn't stopped it. The last few months before the Purges, when they'd all been back on Coruscant, Anakin had become distant. Obi-wan knew it but he hadn't reached out to Anakin, not really, didn't show the boy that he could still come to him with his troubles. Mia had tried to reach out to him but she was busy with the demanding task of teaching two younglings how to hear with the Force like she did. It was also the Council's fault for not treating Anakin like he was one of them. It was their fault for pushing him away. It was everyone's fault for not realizing that Anakin was teetering on the edge of light and dark and that all it took was one push to send him into darkness.

Fault couldn't be placed on one individual person, everyone had a part in what happened. He knew that now.

August 2nd, Two years post Galactic Empire

It seemed as though the year had gone by in a blur to them. The universe went on without them as they stayed on Verron, taking care of Leia and taking care of each other. Leia's birthday was a quiet affair. They didn't have a party like last year. Instead they had a picnic in the meadow, Leia's favorite place in the universe. It was quiet and peaceful, full of the little girl's giggles as she played, running free and pretending to be a wolf, howling in the air and play-growling at them. They watched with amusement, taking plenty of pictures. After the picnic they went home. Anakin and Mia had the idea to build a fort in the dining room and pretend it was Leia's castle, referring to her as 'Princess Leia'.

After dinner Mia brought out the cake, lighting the two candles before they told her to make a wish. The two year old looked between them before closing her eyes and blowing the candles out, not noticing that Mia was snapping more pictures. Grinning, Mia nudged for Anakin to go get her present from out of the closet of the first floor bedroom. A minute later he was bringing out a giant box with a bow on top—it was too big to wrap. Leia's eyebrows furrowed together adorably as he brought it in and turned it around, revealing the giant picture of two toddlers playing with a toy kitchen.

"See, now you can cook too," Mia murmured, running her fingers through Leia's soft curls.

"Some assembly is required so you can't play with it right away," Anakin told her, leaning against the box, "But once I set it up, you can cook anytime you want."

A giant grin split onto the little girls face as she looked between her father and Mia. Looking up at Mia, she raised her hands and signed, "_Now I can be like you_," Her voice eager and excited.

The twenty-three year old couldn't help but grin at that, "_Yeah, just don't cook like your dad,_" She signed, laughing at Anakin's expense.

Anakin rolled his eyes good-naturedly before noticing the time and sighing, "Come on Leia, we better get you to bed."

"But I want to cook," She whined, crossing her arms.

"It's not ready yet Princess," He told her gently, "Come on, if you go to bed now I promise you can play with it as soon as you get up."

Pursing her lips together for a moment and looking at Anakin as though he was doing something suspicious—which Mia was trying very hard not to laugh at—she sighed and relented, "Fine," She muttered, looking annoyed.

Bending down, Mia picked her up and carried up the stairs to put her to bed.

Anakin found himself in the kitchen, cleaning up the dishes when he heard Mia coming down the stairs, nudging him through the bond for her attention.

"_I have a surprise for you!_" She told him, her hands moving quickly with excitement.

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed, "_What's that?_" He asked, his hands barely moving.

Grinning, Mia opened the fridge and pulled something out, a cake. It was chocolate with vanilla frosting, just like the one she'd made for Leia but instead of it saying 'Happy Birthday Leia' it said 'Happy Birthday Luke'. Setting it down on the counter, Mia turned to him, smiling at the surprised look on his face that slowly turned to a smile.

"_I take it that means you like it_," Mia signed, not able to help the grin escaping onto her face.

"_It's beautiful_," Anakin replied, his hands moving slowly but purposefully.

Pulling the camera from out of her pocket, she handed it to Anakin to snap a picture of it. Instead of taking it, he hugged her.

"_Thank you_," It drifted through the bond slowly, the first mental communication they'd had in years. It was strange, like the feeling of dipping your toes into the water for the first time or picking up an instrument you hadn't played in a long time.

August 2nd, Two years post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan smiled as Luke unwrapped his present—well, ripped up the wrapping paper was more accurate—and found that inside the box was a standing easel, folded up to fit in the box. Obi-wan was actually pretty excited to give it to Luke because, recently, the boy had been showing interest in art. He'd finally gotten a job and he'd worked overtime to pay for it. Luke looked at it, completely confused about what it was for. Grinning, Obi-wan picked it up and put it upright, ready for use.

"See, you can draw with it," He told Luke, pointing to the picture on the box.

Pulling out another present, this time a large bag, he handed it to Luke. Topping the bag over, a bit to Obi-wan's dismay, Luke dug into it, pulling out a pad of paper, a box of crayons and a paint set complete with a little brush. Grinning, the boy opened up the book and reached for the crayons. He found it a struggle to open the box so Obi-wan had to help with it but once he had a crayon in his hand he got to drawing. Smiling, Obi-wan got up and picked up all the small pieces, things like plastic and little scraps of wrapping paper so Luke wouldn't do what many two year olds before him did and put something in his mouth. After that he walked to the tiny kitchen of their apartment, ready to prepare dinner. He was making Luke's favorite tonight, mashed potatoes with melted cheese on top and beans—why that was his favorite, Obi-wan had no clue but he'd make it all the same.

* * *

A few things. Thank you SO much for reviewing, made me so happy. I know, it kind of went quick but I wanted to get to where things start to actually happen. Also, I know Anakin's flashback wasn't in bold or italicized but the reason for that is when someone has a flashback it feels real, it feels like it's happening now. It's not like a nightmare where you think it might not be real or you're trying to get out. They feel real and it's hard to discern from reality so for Anakin it felt like it was happening right then and there.

Also, it normally takes me 2-3 days per chapter and I just finished 11 but after I run out if finished chapters updates will be coming in slowly, probably weekly instead of daily. But in the meantime, enjoy, review because that makes my day and look for this story tomorrow


	7. So We Just Keep on Fighting

This chapter is very Claus/Obi-wan/Darth Brutus centric, Anakin and Mia don't really appear in this one though there are two chapters coming up that are more centered around them. If I could cast anyone for the role of Claus it would probably be Eric Bana, possibly with a goatee or some facial scruff

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November 10th, Two years post Galactic Empire

It was another mission and once again he was leading it. It seemed the fighting, the training, the planning and the plotting was never going to end. He just wanted to go back to being a doctor, helping people. Claus Greyback shook his head from the back of the ship as two of the Rebel soldiers chatted excitedly about the mission. There was an Imperial base on Pallaxides hidden in the wilderness. It was just a simple surveillance mission. They were going to land in the capital city and drive out to the edge of the forest and from there they were going to hike to the base and set up surveillance equipment. This time he was going to be out hiking with them.

Claus looked up as the co-pilot walked in, "We'll be landing there by tomorrow morning."

November 11th, Two years post Galactic Empire

The air was cold and the mud was slick but there was no snow, small miracles Claus reminded himself as he hiked up the slope. The trees were, for the most part, evergreens, which was great because it meant more cover. He lead point, leading the group of seven up the rocky hills. Turning on his comm. unit, he checked where in the map they were before looking at the soldiers below, dressed brown and grey camouflage uniforms, blaster rifles in their hands. Something felt off about this, it had felt off for a while now but he couldn't place it.

"Alright, we're almost at the second check-in point," He told them, "Just another hundred meters," He added before continuing.

Nodding, they followed their leader.

"So, Master Jedi," Coro, the youngest of the group, spoke up, "You fought in the war, right?"

Claus turned and offered a friendly smile, "Yes, I did, but before that I was a doctor," He answered before turning back ahead, climbing over a couple large boulders.

"Wait, you were a doctor?" Coro questioned, clearly not expecting that.

"I was," He replied, not looking over his shoulder, "I worked in the healing ward at the Jedi Temple and, before the war, most of my missions were to go to planets with outbreaks of plague and treat the sick."

"So how'd you end up in the war?" Emmil queried, "I saw the footage on the news, you were unstoppable, there wasn't anything you couldn't do."

Claus stopped and turned back to them, "Being a Jedi isn't just about fighting, it's also about balance and helping others. I was one of the best in my combat lessons but I preferred to help rather than kill so I chose to focus more on medicine."

They reached the second check point without any of them asking him a question. Emmil was in charge of comms. for this mission. Everyone watched as he pulled out the transmitter, radioing the general—a gruff man who Claus had personally never met before the mission but, considering his reputation for shoot-first-ask-questions-later he supposed there was a good reason for that—who was stationed in the ship at the transportation center in the capital city. After confirmation, Emmil packed up and they continued their hike.

"So, Master Greyback," Coro started slowly, "If you had your choice, would rather be in the medical ward on base instead of here?"

Claus sighed, "If I had my choice, there wouldn't be an Empire and there would be no need to a rebellion, but we so rarely get what we want."

"So what do you want?" Gren spoke up from the back, his first time talking since they started the hike.

Claus thought about that for a moment. If he could have anything he asked for, he wouldn't ask for peace. "I'd ask to have my family back," He answered before continuing up the hill, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong.

November 11th, Two years post Galactic Empire

Darth Brutus rolled his eyes behind his mask, again. That seemed to be the habit when dealing with Commander Sarge, an irritating little man with a stick up his ass and the ever-annoying confidence that his idea was the best. Sometimes the Sith felt the man needed to be put in place but he had specific orders not to go anywhere near the commander, his master had plans for him. Though, his idea of putting someone back in place didn't necessarily mean death, just demotion, preferably to something like janitor or dinner-lady. The thought of the commander in a hairnet and an apron brought a smile on.

_**Smiling, very un-Sith like**_, He mused wryly.

After a half-decent lunch in his quarters—by half-decent he meant it wasn't grey and crawling off his plate but it didn't taste very good either—he strolled back into the base, expecting to listen to more of Commander Sarge's ideas for the base or, when the man left the room, all the techs at their computers gossiping to one another.

To his great surprise—and he was being sarcastic there, yes, very un-Sith like indeed—he found the commander going on and on to his lieutenant about the structure of the Empire. Lingering in the shadows, he listened in.

"Tell me, why is it the Emperor just sends his butler everywhere, one second in command and about a thousand bases to oversee, the structuring is terrible," He complained.

"The Emperor likes to see that things are done right, that's why I'm here," He stated, enjoying the way Commander Sarge tensed up before turning to face him, skin paler than a sheet. Smirking, he continued, "I don't suppose you'd like to share your opinions and suggestions with the Emperor himself, because I'm sure he'd love to hear what you think he should do with his military."

Sometimes he wished his sarcasm carried through the mechanical voice, but for now he'd settle for it just coming across as threatening.

The commander opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the sound of an alarm, a red light flashing through the room.

"Sir, we sensed an intrusion coming from the north-east," One of the techs announced, pressing a few buttons before an image appeared on the monitor, a bird's eye view of the forest surrounding the base, eight moving orange dots.

Heat signatures, Darth Brutus realized.

The lieutenant and a few of his men turned to Darth Brutus and Commander Sarge, "What are your orders?" The lieutenant asked.

"Get your men, we're going—." Lieutenant Ver cut him off there, "I was actually asking him," He informed the commander, looking directly at Darth Brutus, "You're the second in command, what would you have us do."

The young Sith tried not to smirk. "Get your best men, take them to hanger where you house your off-road vehicals, I will meet you there. We're going after them," He answered before turning to the crew of techs, "This base has an electrical fence, they haven't crossed that, as soon as we get past the gate you turn it on and do not turn it off until you have your orders from me." They nodded so he turned to Commander Sarge, "And as for you."

The commander stood up straight, ready to receive orders even if he was pissed as hell about having his own lieutenant go over his head.

"Go to your quarters and wait there," Darth Brutus ordered, "I'll not have you getting in the way."

The man scowled, "You really think you can come to my base and order my men!" He shouted in the startings of what was to become a tirade.

"That is exactly what I think," The Sith growled out, standing over the man, "And that is exactly what the Emperor ordered, now, if you have a problem with his leadership, like I said, take it up with him."

With that, he turned and left the room.

November 11th, Two years post Galactic Empire

They were almost to the third check point now, only two to go before they were there. They had started two hours ago, when the sun was still high in the sky. Now it was drifting towards the edge of the horizon. By the time they reached the fifth check point it would be nighttime. Claus stopped mid-step, holding his arm out to stop the men behind him as he listened carefully. He heard it, a faint beeping he hadn't heard before now. Turning he looked to the soldiers behind him, watching as they looked at him in confusion.

"Do you hear that?" He asked them, watching as they shook their heads. "Listen, if you really listen you can hear a faint beeping."

They listened carefully before Coro nodded, "Nearby machine?" He suggested.

"That would suggest they've got surveillance out here," Claus sighed, frowning. The closer it got, the less and less he felt like something was going to go wrong. "Which means we may already be compromised."

He looked towards where the slope of the hill leveled out, sixty meters ahead. "Coro, Gren, get to the top of the hill and see if you can see the base from here. Emmil, do the comm. check from here, tell them we might be compromised."

Nodding, Coro and Gren followed orders and continued up the hill, picking the pace from the comfortable walk to a jog. Pulling out the transmitter, Emmil started radioing into the ship and the general. Turning to the four remaining, Claus told them to split into pairs, one going left and the other going right, to try and find any surveillance devices for sixty meters themselves.

"This is Private Emmil Rerror, calling in," Emmil spoke into the comm.

"You're three hundred meters from your check point Private," General Far reminded him, sounding irritated to be interrupted, "This had better be good, I don't have time for personal calls."

Shaking his head, Claus held out his hand, "Give it to me, I'll deal with him," He told the young man.

Nodding slowly, Emmil handed the comm. to the Jedi, happy to not have to deal with the man.

"General Far, this is Jedi Master Greyback," He stated into the comm. "I'm afraid there's a risk we've been compromised, I've sent my men to look for surveillance devices to confirm this."

"You're calling me on a hunch?" Far questioned, sounding angrier by the minute.

He scrubbed his hand over his face, "I'm calling you because this mission might be compromised," He answered sternly, "If I were calling you on a hunch you'd have heard from me two checkpoints ago."

"Continue on with your mission Greyback," Far ordered.

He looked up as Coro and Gren came running down the hill towards them, the look on their faces saying it all. "Sir, I'm receiving confirmation that we are, in fact, compromised."

"Finish the mission," Far repeated.

"Sir, all due respect but I think a retreat is in order," Claus insisted, trying to ignore the way Emmil looked worried. "The lives of these men are at risk here."

"Those men risked their lives when they chose to join the Rebellion, they knew what they were doing, now finish the mission," General Far ordered again, sounding like he was about ready to hike up there and throttle Claus for the Empire. "You were a general in the war and I expect you to act like it, you didn't earn that ninety percent success rate retreating. Now this is a direct order, finished the mission!"

Claus looked up as Coro and Gren stopped, hearing everything. "Listen here you pompous ass, there is more at stake here then a number or some lost surveillance. Now I would sooner lose a mission than watch them die, I am responsible for them. So you can take your direct order and shove it up your ass, I don't care if you kick me out of the God-damn Alliance, I'm not about to see another man dead in battle."

Turning the comm. off, he turned and handed it to Emmil before facing Coro and Gren, "What did you see?"

"That was the alarm we heard. They've got four large trucks in front of the base, they're loading up with storm troopers right now and I'll bet you my energy packs they're coming for us," Coro answered quickly before looking off into the distant.

Turning, Claus watched as the four men came back from their scouting run, one of them holding a camera with a broken lens and a few wires sticking out.

"Alright, Coro says they've got storm troopers coming for us. Here's what we're going to do: There's a river south of here, in the opposite direction of the road where the storm troopers will be. We're going to cross the river. Their armor comes with comm. units, crossing the river will short those out. Coro, you're going to be point while I hold up the back. Once we get past the river, we're running east towards the city, it's almost night, so they'll have a hard time finding us."

He looked at each of them, praying to the Force that they all made it out alive. "Let's get going, we haven't got much time," He finished, motioning for Coro to go first.

November 11th, Two years post Galactic Empire

They'd made it across the river and from there they went east, keeping the river in sight but away from the view of any nearby storm troopers. They'd made it three miles east before they saw anyone. It was Emmil who saw them first, he'd barely been able to warn them before the first shot was fired. It had been aimed at Coro, who would have been hit if Emmil hadn't pulled him back by the back of his shirt.

"Everyone into the trees!" Emmil shouted, firing two shots at the storm trooper, killing him dead, before running.

"Move south-east," Claus ordered, holding back a moment to see if there were any other storm troopers with in sight. He saw one storm trooper lifting his arm to talk into his comm. Before he could so much as lift the panel protecting it, Claus used the Force to pull him into the river.

Turning, he sprinted ahead to catch up with the group, keeping an eye out for anything white. The sun was setting and every minute it got darker, making time on their side for the time being. It wouldn't take long for them to reach the edge of the forest. There was a road ahead if they kept going south-east and it led into the city, all they had to do was acquire a vehicle.

November 11th, Two years post Galactic Empire

Darth Brutus stood by the trucks in the road, waiting for someone to call something in. He'd sent eighty storm troopers into the forest in teams of five. It was getting dark now, meaning it would be harder to find them. It didn't help that his army's armor glowed under moonlight, making them stick out like a sore thumb. Resisting the urge to pull off his mask and rub his temples in a vain attempt to relax the tension, he called into the base.

"Are they still on the map?" He questioned one of the techs over the comm.

"Yes, but they're on the edge, about three miles from the motorway leading into the capital," The tech confirmed.

Nodding in exasperation, because of course something like that would happen, he asked: "Okay, so it leads to the capital, where else does it lead?"

"It runs south into smaller cities, and, if you take it far enough, it leads to farms and small towns," She answered.

"Keep me updated," He dismissed her, closing the comm. line.

He looked up as the lieutenant walked over, "They've been spotted, one of the storm troopers called it in. There are eight, all men, dressed in camo, on the other side of the river," He told the Sith.

Nodding, he considered his options. "But sir, one more thing, he saw one of them pull another storm trooper into the river. They've got at least one Jedi."

"Good work lieutenant," He told them man, "Now, call your men back. While you're at that, call into the base and tell them to shut down every transportation center on the planet. After that, tell the techs in the control room to make a call to every local news station and tell them we've got a terrorist group on the planet, eight in camo, armed and dangerous and that there's 10,000 credits out there to anyone with a lead."

Nodding, the lieutenant walked off, pausing only for a moment to ask the Sith: "And do we tell them about the Jedi."

Thinking about it, Darth Brutus shook his head, "Let them think they have an advantage," He decided.

November 11th, Two years post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan stared at the screen of the tiny, old television, barely paying attention to a crap horror film. It was another one of those nights where he didn't get much sleep. Those nights had been very common in the first year after the start of the Empire, in fact he almost never slept. Now, though, they didn't happen quite so often. He tossed a quick glance at the door off the side of the kitchen, Luke's room, wondering if the young boy was sleeping soundly. Sometimes he would wake up, in the middle of the night, seemingly for no reason. The boy didn't have nightmares, he just couldn't stay asleep.

"We interrupt this program to deliver you the latest news," On man announced, making Obi-wan turn towards the screen, rolling his eyes. What was a night without a little Empire propaganda tossed in?

"Eight terrorist have been spotted trying to break into an Empire base. According to reports the terrorist are dressed in camo-uniforms. The Empire is offering up 10,000 credits to anyone with a lead. These men are armed and dangerous, exercise precaution. We will keep you updated on the latest."

Groaning, Obi-wan turned the old television off using the Force. Of course this would happen. He'd looked into the planet, they had an old military base near here but that had been abandoned fifty years ago. If he had any idea it was running he'd have left.

Standing, Obi-wan moved to pack his things off. He was getting Luke off this planet and somewhere safe, where the Empire wouldn't dare touch. Walking into the tiny room with just a small bed, a crooked nightstand missing a drawer, a few blankets and a travel-pack full of clothes. Stuffing the old, dirty clothes in with the clean, he shut it closed. Opening the remaining drawer of the nightstand, he pulled out the old notebook with Luke's development progress along with the few pictures he had to remember his old life. Gently placing them in the side pocket, he walked into the living room and sat it down on the crappy old couch.

With a sigh, he opened the door to Luke's room and turned on the lamp. He was surprised to see that Luke was already up, sitting on the edge of his bed with Toothless tucked under his arm.

"W'as 'rong?" The boy asked, intuitive as ever.

Obi-wan knelt down next to the boy. "We're going on an adventure," He whispered, trying to look excited about it, "Come on, we need to pack so we can go," He added.

Nodding, the boy pulled out the large backpack Obi-wan had gotten for him before they left Kail. Moving to the small dresser, he pulled out Luke's clothes, well, the ones that would still fit. Moving to the small easel he picked up the drawing pad and the box of crayons before gently placing them in another pocket of the backpack. Obi-wan looked up at the pictures Luke had drawn, looking for his favorite. About a month back he'd walked up to Obi-wan with a grin on his face and something behind his back. It was a picture he'd drawn of him and Obi-wan in the park. Spotting it, he slowly peeled off the tape pinning it to the wall, being extra careful before sliding it in with the drawing pad.

"Is there anything else you want to bring?" He asked Luke, looking up at the boy.

Luke held up Toothless and his baby blanket, his babysitter had made it for him. Nodding, Obi-wan took the blanket and placed it on top of the clothes.

November 12th, Two years post Galactic Empire

They'd made it to the road, hidden just behind the trees, waiting for a speeder to drive by. They knew the chances of finding a speeder capable of carrying all eight of them, so they decided to split into two groups and meet at the transportation center where the ship was. Claus glanced at everyone in the group, noticing how tense they were, waiting for anything to happen. Maybe the storm troopers would find them, maybe a speeder would show up. It seemed very odd to Claus, that a large street like this had so few speeders. He supposed it was because of the late hour.

Suddenly Emmil tensed up, "I think one's coming," He spoke up, looking south.

"Alright, team one go ahead," Claus spoke up, motioning for them to walk into the road.

Coro, Emmil, Gren and Claus watched in anticipation as the others walked into the street, blaster rifles aimed. The car stopped, the occupants looking panicked, even under the dim light. Slowly, the members of team one split into two, walking around the sides of the speeder.

"Alright, get out," One ordered, his voice loud and authoritative.

Slowly, the couple got out, walking to the side of the street, just a few meters in front of Claus. Raising his hand, he motioned for them to walk further into the trees. Team one got into the speeder and drove off without a word. They waiting in silence as the couple panicked.

"Call it in, tell them the terrorists took our car," The wife told him, looking ready to burst into tears.

"I don't think so," Claus stated, walking out into the light.

The woman screeched and the man jumped back, fear in his eyes.

"What terrorists?" He questioned, wary and hating the feeling he had about this.

When they didn't answer right away, Coro, Emmil and Gren walked out as well. "I suggest you answer his question," Coro stated, his voice sounding intimidating despite his young age.

"It's all over the news," The husband explained quickly, looking truly fearful as he pulled his wife behind him, "Eight terrorists, all dressed in camo."

"Shit," Coro swore under his breath.

They looked to Claus, wondering what they should do. Sighing, the Jedi pinched the bridge of his nose, "This mission is already compromised, we already might not make it out of here," He muttered, "Gren, you watch them for a minute. Coro, Emmil, a word."

The two young men followed Claus as he walked several meters away. Turning, he looked at the two soldiers in front of him. Coro, whose parents were killed in a car crash when he was just a kid. His older brother worked hard to pay the bills. Then, a little less than a year ago, his brother was shot down by storm troopers, Coro didn't know why. He was still just a scrawny kid, spiky blond hair sticking out from under his helmet. Emmil, he didn't like the way the Empire treated all species not human as second class citizens. He was almost twenty-five and, while he looked hard he was gentle in nature. His dark skin glowed under the dim lamps lining the roadway, his warm eyes bright.

"Okay, we can't let them tell anyone but I don't want to kill them," Claus muttered.

"We don't have to," Emmil insisted, "Don't Jedi have this sleep trance they can use on people?"

Claus nodded, "Yeah, but it won't last long, it'll maybe give us a few hours," He sighed, "But I'll take what I can get. Emmil, do me a favor, comm. the others, tell them to get a change of clothes, we need to blend in."

Nodding, Emmil reached for the small range comm. in his pocket. Hopefully they were still within range.

Turning, he walked towards the couple. They took a step back as he neared, looking for any sort of gun. Raising his hand, he placed the tips of his middle and index finger on the man's head. The Force ebbed and flowed through him as he guided it into the man. Eyes closing, he slumped forward. Catching him, Claus lowered him gently to the ground, wincing as the woman screamed, looking ready to make a run for it. Reaching for her shoulder, he held her still as he repeated the process, catching her as she too slumped forward. Turning, he looked at the three men before him, watching in awe. Then two pinpricks of light in the distance caught his eye.

"Here comes the next speeder," He told them, watching as it neared.

Moving quickly, they stood in the street. Emmil, Coro and Gren stood in front, blasters ready. The speeder slowed but he man inside didn't get out. Moving towards the driver's side, Coro opened the door, pointing his blaster rifle at the man. Slowly he got out, hands up in the air. Reaching forward, Claus put the man under the same sleep trance, grabbing hold of him as he swayed to the side and dragging him to the side of the road with the others so he wouldn't be hit. Turning, he got in the speeder, sitting in the back with Emmil as Coro started driving.

November 12th, Two years post Galactic Empire

Darth Brutus pulled his mask off in the privacy of his temporary quarters, scrubbing his hand over his face, suddenly thankful that he very rarely ever slept. Still, sometimes he felt exhausted beyond belief. Giving a disgusted look at the contents of his tray, he looked away, wondering to himself how it ever passed as food around here. The only times he ever really got a good meal was when he went out in public, without his armor or mask, away from the storm troopers and incompetent commanders who constantly lusted for power. Without his mask, he was anonymous. Truthfully, he just wanted to go home for a bit. He had a home now, now that he was second in command. It was on a mid-rim planet and it was his. He never had a home before that, not really.

Sighing, the young Sith pushed his tray closer, forcing himself to eat at least some of it to keep his strength up. At least the coffee wasn't all that bad, stale but strong.

After eating he walked back to the control room, expecting to hear some news, but doubting it would be good. They had a Jedi on their hands, a well shielded Jedi who was hard to pin down and apparently rather resourceful.

"Sir, we're getting reports of four men in a speeder wearing camo," One tech said as soon as he entered the room, "They're heading into the city, they're almost to the Central City Transportation Center."

Nodding, the Sith walked out the room, ordering that they have a squadron of storm troopers ready to leave in five minutes over his shoulder.

November 12th, Two years post Galactic Empire

The main transportation center was a huge thing indeed. Not only did it have ships available to the public to travel from planet, it also housed personal ships. Of course, there were limits as to how big they could be, but most personal ships were rarely all that large. There was almost a monthly fee and Obi-wan sometimes struggled to scrape together enough to pay for the rent, but he did.

Obi-wan stepped out of the speeder that'd he'd acquired through some not-quite-legal means. Walking around, he unfastened Luke from the seat, picking him up and setting him down on the ground before hoisting the straps of both bags up in the air, one for each shoulder. Turning, he took Luke's hand, barely managing to balance both of the bags as they walked through the parking structure and into the transportation center.

It was motionless inside, everyone was seated or standing, luggage nearby. Everyone looked impatient and exhausted. It came as a surprise to Obi-wan because when he arrived with Luke, Kail and the bounty hunter behind them, it was bustling and running full speed. Looking around, he moved towards the nearest employee.

"Excuse me," He spoke up to get her attention. She turned around, plastering a cheery smile on her face, even with the signs of exhaustion in her eyes. "I need to get off world and I can't remember where it is the ship storage is."

"I'm afraid all ships are prohibited from leaving the planet until further notice," She told him.

He panicked and came up with a good lie, "Um, my sister, she's very ill and they don't think she'll make it. I have to see her."

She smiled sympathetically, "I'm afraid there are no exceptions, this planet is a no fly zone," With that, she walked away.

Running a hand through his short hair, he turned to Luke who was looking at him curiously, probably because of the bold-faced lie. Looking away, he wondered what he was going to do. Those thoughts were cut short when Luke tugged on his pant leg.

"Ben, I'm hungry," He mumbled before looking away.

Nodding, Obi-wan turned and looked for anything capable of serving food, silently kicking himself for not thinking to pack a few snacks for Luke. Finally he spotted a small cart across a crowded hallway full of people. Taking Luke's hand, he started walking towards it. It sold something fried and salty that Obi-wan had never heard of and had certainly never tasted. Normally he wouldn't let Luke anywhere near that sort of thing but the situation was getting worse and worse by the minute.

As Luke ate Obi-wan debated the wisdom of just stealing away in his ship, no-fly zone be damned. With his luck they'd probably shoot at him but he'd been in all out battles in flight, he could handle it. Of course, he'd long ago sold his capable fighter and bought a junk piece of scrap metal that barely passed for a ship. Once he was in hyperspace though, they couldn't trace him.

He turned as Luke ate the last of, whatever the hell that was, and crumpled up the grease-stained paper wrapper before going to the nearest trashcan to throw it away. Turning, he walked back towards Obi-wan, making Obi-wan muse that maybe he should cut the boy's hair again, seeing as it was practically covering his eyes now. Standing up, heavy bags and all, he took Luke's slippery, greasy hand and started walking to where he remembering the ship storage units being.

He was almost there when he sense it. It was the all-too-familiar of a strongly shielded force signature. Turning, he looked around, wary of who it might be. Its location was hard to pin down but it was close and heading towards him. Picking up the pace, he walked towards the tall and heavy metal garage door. It was open halfway—thank the Force—and it was relatively quiet. Next to the door stood a handful of motorized metal carts, meant for carting lots of luggage long distances, an attendant standing next to them with a bored look on his face.

He turned as Obi-wan neared, "I'm sorry sir but there's a flight restriction right now, you can't leave."

Looking around for anyone watching, Obi-wan smiled at the man before waving his hand across his face, "You will give me this cart," He spoke.

"I will give you this cart," The man parroted, handing him the keys to the nearest cart.

"You will open the gate so I can leave in my ship," Obi-wan added.

"I will open the gate so you can leave in your ship," He repeated before turning and walking away.

Releasing Luke's hand, he dropped the two heavy packs on the ground before lifting the boy onto the cart too, telling him to hold onto the rails. Getting on as well, Obi-wan started it up and took the controls, sending it forward but keeping the speed down for Luke's sake.

November 12th, Two years post Galactic Empire

Claus stopped in place as he felt it, very nearby. One quick scan around and he found a man looking around carefully, eyeing each person. He couldn't believe it, just up ahead was Kenobi, carting two heavy packs, a two year old boy following by his side—Luke, Claus realized. That complicated things by a lot. He noticed all seven of his companions had stopped to look at him curiosity in their expressions. Sighing, Claus motioned for them to continue, picking up the pace himself as they headed towards the storage part of the transportation center. It seemed Obi-wan was also on his way there, performing a Jedi mind trick on an unsuspecting employee. Claus watched as the Jedi stood on the orange cart that barely passed for motorized and started it up, driving it further into storage.

"Are we going to do that?" Emmil questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Claus thought about it for a moment before deciding against it. Just as he was about to tell him no, he felt another, strong Force presence but this one was unshielded. He recognized it from his little spat with a Sith on Corellia.

"No, I think it would just be better to run, faster that way," Claus insisted, "Our pursuers seem to be catching up on us."

With that he broke out into a run, quickly followed by his comrades. Obi-wan seemed to sense what was happening because he quickly started speeding up before turning the corner. Claus really hoped it would break into a fight and that Kenobi and Luke wouldn't be caught in the middle of it. They were just about to turn the corner when Claus stopped, turning on his lightsaber to deflect the blaster shots sent their way, killing the three that had aimed for them. Hiding behind the corner, Coro and Gren started firing at them, killing two more.

"The ships in storage unit 2508B, run!" Claus ordered, "I'll hold them off!"

They didn't need to be told twice, they continued running back to the ship. The storm troopers, seven of them, were running his way, shots firing. One stayed behind, arm raised as he talked over the comm. line to someone. Deflecting the shots, he killed another three before a figure in black walked up behind them. Suddenly the shots ceased, but that was what worried Claus.

Slowly, the figure in black approached him, every part of his dark force signature making Claus itch. This was the Sith that was after him on Corellia, this was the Emperor's second in command. He watched as the man ignited his red lightsaber before bursting into a run. Drawing the Force around him, Claus ran, meeting him half way as gold clashed with red. Pushing the Sith back, Claus stepped forward, swiping his saber horizontally. Taking a step back, the Sith missed the attack and met him with a downward cut aimed as his left shoulder. Blocking, Claus sidestepped the next attack, an upward cut.

November 12th, Two years post Galactic Empire

Darth Brutus watched with a smirk as his Force push had the Jedi tumbling back and into a concrete wall. Stepping forward, he stalked towards the man—Claus Greyback, he remembered, one of the few who could get away. Standing, the Jedi raised his saber, looking fatigued. He'd ran miles and miles through a jungle, gone through Force knows what to get here only to find himself in a battle. The Sith appreciated the effort he'd put in trying to get away, it only made the challenge that much better.

They clashed again, red meeting gold, before he pushed Jedi Greyback back. They went back and forth, countering an uppercut or blocked a swipe to the left. Darth Brutus swung his lightsaber in a downward arch and getting blocked before the Jedi who parried his next jab aimed for the heart.

He suddenly found himself flying through the air by an unexpected Force push, hitting one of the many metal garage doors. His back was what collided with the metal. Pain spread through the muscles in his back, reminding him faintly of the day he fell from the sky, his parachute useless. This pain now wasn't even a fraction of that. Standing slowly from his crumpled position on the ground he looked for the Jedi, finding him running in the direction his comrades had been fleeing. Bursting into a run, he tried to catch up. Seeing that he couldn't, he settled on a steady Force push, sending him tumbling face first. The man got up as Darth Brutus was catching up, his gold lightsaber raised. Swinging, Darth Brutus collided his lightsaber with the Jedi's, practically growling under the mask. Pushing the Jedi back with force, he stabbed forward. Jedi Greyback sidestepped to the left, moving to slice the Sith's shoulder with his lightsaber, almost managing to do it before Darth Brutus blocked him, backing off for a minute before charging forward. They clashed again, the force of the attack pushed the Jedi back several back. Dropping into a spin-kick, he swiped the Jedi off his feet. He grunted when he hit the ground before looking up the length of the saber held to the one holding it, defiance in his eyes.

He hesitated to kill the man. Only for a moment. He hesitated.

He almost didn't notice the shift in the Force, he didn't notice the figure off to the side because the mask he wore narrowed his peripheral vision. What Darth Brutus did notice was the force with which he was pulled back, slammed into a wall and the sound of the armor protecting his back cracking under the pressure. Landing on his feet, the Sith stumbled a bit before facing his attacker.

"Kenobi, I thought you were dead," He growled out, thankful the mechanical voice didn't give away his surprise at seeing the supposedly dead Jedi standing there.

"Darth Brutus, I thought you were taller," Kenobi countered, the corner of his mouth twitching upward, "Guess we're both disappointed."

He looked between the two Jedi. Greyback, now standing, was breathing heavily and his left hand was twitching towards his abdomen, probably injured sometime in their fight. Kenobi however, was fresh and ready for a fight. Grinning, he charged towards Kenobi, saber raised.

November 12th, Two years post Galactic Empire

Claus watched as the Sith, all dressed in black, charged at Obi-wan—who he still couldn't believe was here. He noticed the long crack in the armor protecting Darth Brutus's back, the way it stretched and spidered out. The blue of Obi-wan's lightsaber melded with the red lightsaber held by the Sith. It was a blur of moves and countermoves, blocks and parries. Pushing the pain radiated from his ribcage down, Claus moved to join the fight. Seeming to sense him approaching, Darth Brutus kicked Kenobi back before turning to block Claus's attack. Jumping back for a moment, the Sith deflected a side swipe meant for his shoulder from Kenobi. Swinging in a downward arch, Claus cut through the armor on Darth Brutus's back. The Sith jumped away, barely missing the lightsaber blade that would have torn through his back. The armor fell off in chunks, his back exposed. The cut was so close that the fabric of the shirt underneath the armor was singed. Realizing he wouldn't make it in an outnumbered fight, the Sith sent Claus flying back with a strong Force push. He slid across the floor, the sounds of lightsabers fizzling as they met one another filling his ears. The force of the push made the pain in his ribs stronger. Claus looked up, watching as Darth Brutus forced Obi-wan, who was clearly out of practice, back. Reaching out with the Force, Claus slammed the Sith into the wall with all his strength. The Sith crumpled onto the ground, not getting up. Obi-wan looked at him, breathing heavily and looking relieved. Walking over, Obi-wan offered a hand.

"Thank you," Obi-wan told him as he pulled Claus up.

"No, I should be the one thanking you," Claus insisted, reaching to grab what he suspected was, at first, a bruised rib, now most likely broken, "I think I've been slammed into far too many times today," He joked.

Obi-wan smirked, chuckling as he tossed a look over his shoulder at the defeated Sith. "What do we do with him?" He asked Claus.

"Leave him to me, you take Luke and you get the hell of this planet," Claus answered.

Obi-wan turned to him, eyes wide with surprised, about to ask how Claus could possibly know.

"I was the one that sent that bounty hunter after you, I was trying to find you, Anakin Skywalker and Mia," He explained, "I needed to know if you'd been in contact with either of them."

Obi-wan opened his mouth to ask something but seemed to decide against it, "I haven't been in touch with anyone," He answered, "And last I saw either of them was on Naboo two years ago when I took Luke from Anakin."

"Mia's with him, isn't she," Claus guessed.

Obi-wan sighed, "It would seem that way," He agreed, "But for all we know she's somewhere else."

Claus nodded, "We better get out of here, I saw storm troopers," He told Obi-wan, "And my team's waiting for me to get back."

Obi-wan smirked and, nodding, turned to walk away. Claus watched for a moment before speaking up, "Obi-wan, there's a rebellion now, an alliance, and I'm a part of it. You can join, we'd be happy to have you."

Obi-wan stopped, "I can't, I have Luke to think about," He stated, not turning around.

"I understand but, if you could do me this one last favor, old friend," Claus requested, "When you see Mia again, tell her about it."

Looking over his shoulder, Obi-wan nodded before walking away. Scrubbing his face tiredly, exhausted beyond belief, Claus turned to the crumpled heap in black on the floor. Once Obi-wan had disappeared around the corner, Claus moved towards the man. Reaching down, he removed the helmet that reminded him only too strongly of a storm trooper. He looked at the young man who hid behind the mask. He was barely twenty, too young to be pulled into this madness and too young to die. Claus wondered how it was the boy—because that's what he really was, a boy—became so tangled up into it all. Had he been stolen away from his home and forced to become a Sith or had he chosen this route? He couldn't imagine a worse fate.

Then he noticed the red on the side of his face, the side pressed against the concrete floors. Tilting the young man's head, Claus looked at the steady stream of blood running from his hairline of down his face. His hands strayed away to check for a pulse. He was almost strangely relieved to find one, strong and slow, but there all the same. His doctor's instincts told him to heal him but his Jedi instincts told him to kill the boy.

Standing up, Claus reached out and called for his saber through the Force. It flew into his hand, feeling as though it was meant for his hand and, in truth, it was. Igniting it, he held the tip of the saber to the boy's neck.

"I'm sorry," Claus murmured, stealing himself to do the deed but even as he spoke his hand shook.

Maybe it was because the war torn battle fields tormented him in his dreams. Maybe it was because every soul he was responsible for losing weighed heavily in his chest. Maybe it was because the boy hesitated in killing him as well.

Extinguishing his lightsaber, he walked away and towards his ship where his comrades were, waiting anxiously for his return. The look on their faces when he walked up the ramp brought warmth to his chest. The relief and joy they felt at seeing he was alright made him forget about the last-twenty four hours.

November 19th, Two years post Galactic Empire

Mia woke up fresh from a nap Anakin insisted she take, hair messy and clothes a little rumpled. Yawning and finding herself very thankful Anakin had insisted, Mia got up and headed down the stairs, figuring it was time for her to start dinner. She found Anakin sitting on the couch watching the news, which she found odd because he hated it. She stopped for a moment, wondering what was so special about it that he decreed it worthy of watching.

"There is still nothing known about the terrorist attack on an Imperial base on Pallaxides. Reports have confirmed that there were eight in the group and that among them were two Jedi: Obi-wan Kenobi and Claus Greyback"

Mia froze, eyes going wide. Anakin, just now noticing her, turned to look at her. The look in his eyes, scared, hollow, sad, angry, but really just tired. She saw those emotions in her eyes every time she looked in the mirror.

"Obi-wan Kenobi was previously thought dead from the start of the Empire, killed in the Jedi Purges." The reporter continued, "He fought alongside Anakin Skywalker, who has been on top of the Empire's most wanted list for two years straight."

"Yes, now with this new attack, the list has changed considerably," Another news reporter added, "Can we get the list?"

They watched as the all too familiar list of names and faces appeared on the screen.

"What I find most surprising is that, even after the recent attack on the base in Pallaxides, Skywalker still remains number one," He commented, "But that still puts Kenobi and Greyback high up on the list with Kenobi second and Greyback third."

If Mia weren't so shocked, she'd have noticed that her name was no longer on the list.

November 20th, Two years post Galactic Empire

He sat on the cold stone floor, his cheek pressed to the ground. The coldness of it soothed the bruise that was just starting to form. Curling his hand towards his stomach, where he'd received a few good kicks, he groaned. He hadn't eaten in days and, because of that, he'd been an easy target for the Emperor's personal guards, or pig-bulls as he liked to call them, their brute nature and size reminding him of the animal. Rolling onto his back, Darth Brutus closed his eyes, thinking maybe he'd get some sleep. The door opened and someone threw something in his direction, closing the door just as he turned to look. He found a half-eaten loaf of bread on the floor, two meters away. Groaning, he slowly moved towards it, careful not to worsen the new injuries. Sitting down next to it, he ate it eagerly. It was stale but he didn't care, he was just thankful to have it. If he had his way, he'd ration it, leave a little for the next day but he learned a long time ago that if he left any left it would be taken away.

Stomach full and only crumbs left, he rolled back onto his back. The room, which he was pretty sure was intended for meetings between diplomats and senators and such, had high ceilings and the only light he had came in through the narrow windows. Judging by the way the light diminished, he guessed that it was dusk. Closing his eyes, he let his mind drift away.

_**It was just a flash, a flash of a life he never lived. Jarring and sudden, and not quite in line with reality. That's what most of his dreams were like. He rarely remembered them, just long enough to know he wished he was there and not here. It was just a tiny apartment and sometimes, every now and again, people would filter through, appearing for only a moment before dissolving. Sometimes he found himself in a classroom or in a long hallway or in a room full of fountains. He was pretty sure that was what his life would have been like if he had become a Jedi instead of a Sith. It was strange, this light sensation in his chest that he never felt in real life. He wasn't able to really put a name to it but, if he had too, he supposed this was what freedom was supposed to feel like.**_

So when the door creaked open, waking him from the dream, he felt the disappointment and the strange feeling dissolving, like he'd never felt it in the first place.

* * *

The line was originally "And I'll bet you my bullets they're coming for us." But alas, there are no bullets in Star Wars. Shame, I really liked that line.

Did you like it? Let me know what you think.


	8. Waiting for the Good Days

February 21st, Two years post Galactic Empire

After a while they're figured most things out. It had taken them a long time but they seemed to have figured it out. Some things were small and no problem, others were harder and more trying but they were getting used to those too. If Mia put Leia to bed, Anakin had to do the dishes, and vice-versa. If they had to talk about something serious that could wait, they'd wait until Leia was asleep and talk in sign. If Leia was around and it couldn't wait, they'd communicate through their bond, which grew stronger every day. Any day Anakin had the day off was a day for errands because Mia didn't like taking Leia out in public too much, even with the low Imperial presence on the planet.

Then came the more complicated things like Anakin's nightmares and flashbacks. Those had taken longer to figure out. On the nights that Anakin slept well, he got up right away, usually before Mia to start his daily meditation. On the nights he had nightmares he'd get up and do something like repairing the old speeder that constantly broke down or reading a book. Sometimes, every now and again, it was bad enough that he couldn't do those things and, instead, had to wake up Mia and talk to her about it. She didn't mind though, she liked that he could open up to her.

Flashbacks were a lot harder to figure out. They were complicated and jarring and scary. Mia and Anakin had finally figured out what triggered them. The smell of anything burnt or the smell of smoke, the sight of blood, those triggered it. When Mia cooked, she was careful not to burn anything and if their neighbors were using their fireplaces, she made sure all the windows and doors were closed. But every now and again something like Anakin cutting himself shaving or Leia getting a scraped knee happened but they got through it, one way or another. It didn't stop it from happening completely, but it helped. They'd also finally managed to teach Leia that, if Anakin didn't respond to something she said or was staring at nothing that she should get Mia and go straight to her room.

They knew to get Anakin to sit down straight away because flashbacks sometimes made him dizzy. Mia always brought him a blanket because the attacks often made him cold. He usually talked about it with her, or, if he didn't, they did something to distract him.

July 23rd, Two years post Galactic Empire

Mia opened her eyes wearily, not quite sure what woke her up this early in the morning. Without even looking at the clock on her nightstand she knew it would be several hours before the sun rose. Sitting up, she ran her hand through the hair that curtained her face. Then there it was, what woke her up. The fear and anxiety that leaked through the bond she shared with Anakin. Recently Anakin had been reaching out to her more and more, needing some sort of connection to fill the void of the ones he'd lost. He was doing it again, even in his sleep as his subconscious tormented him. Standing, she walked out her room and crossed the hall, her strides long and quick. Opening the door, she peaked in, finding him tossing and turning restlessly. Sitting down on the unused side of the bed, she reached out and touched his shoulder, giving it a few gentle shakes.

"Anakin, wake up, it's just a dream," She told him calmly.

He didn't seem to respond, his limbs and heads shifting restlessly on the bed.

Scooting closer on the bed, she sat on her knees, shaking his shoulder firmly but careful not to inadvertently hurt him as he continued to thrash in his sleep. "Anakin, wake up, it's just a dream, you're safe," Mia told him.

His eyes snapped open and he looked around wildly, flinching away from Mia's touch. She sat back as he tried to regain some sense of where he was. Finally he looked at her, fear still in his eyes but slowly draining away.

"Hey," She murmured, reaching to turn on the lamp, squinting in the sudden change of light, "What was it about?"

"Mustafar," He muttered, voice hoarse and breaking just a little as he looked away, "But different, not like I remember."

Mia's head tilted ever-so-slightly to the side and her eyebrows furrowed as she wondered what he meant, "Do you want to talk about it?" She inquired.

Anakin just shook his head, "I do, but the only person I can talk to about it is on a different planet and hates me."

She didn't even have to ask who he meant. Sometimes she wondered what would have happened if Obi-wan had been more understanding, if he put more faith in Anakin's ability to fight it and come back from the dark side.

August 2nd, Three years post Galactic Empire

Anakin woke up to the sensation of being tossed and turned, sounds of an eager three year old filling his ears. He opened his eyes to see Leia bouncing on the bed, long brown curls flying through the air weightlessly. Finally, with one last great leap, she landed on her knees next to him.

"Wake up, we're go'n on an a'venture!" She shouted gleefully.

It took a moment to remember that he and Mia had promised they'd take her out for the day. It was a rare thing because Mia and Anakin were all too afraid that someone would notice a Force sensitive girl and take her away. Mia had found a place that did tea parties and, when she'd mentioned it, Leia had practically screeched with excitement. They also promised to take her to a toy store so she could pick out her present, not letting on that they'd gotten her one already.

"Leia, five minutes," Anakin groaned, rolling over and pulling the blankets up to his shoulder.

"No, wake up, Mia's makin' pancakes!" She insisted, crawling towards him to pull the blankets away, "With blu'burries."

He really wished Mia had bought sugar-free syrup because he didn't think getting Leia even more amped up and energetic was strictly safe. Pulling the blanket off he moved to leave the room, Leia bounding out ahead of him. He found Mia in the kitchen, spatula in hand and a bowl of pancake batter on the counter next to the stove. She looked over at them, looking surprisingly awake considering her disheveled appearance, hair pulled into a messy ponytail, wearing a t-shirt and a pair of shorts that hung off her hips and made her legs look longer. She still looked beautiful though. Anakin stopped, surprised by that thought. He'd always thought she was beautiful but he hadn't really acknowledged it like that, not since he and Padmé were reunited at least.

Shaking that thought off, he walked towards the coffee maker and poured himself a cup before going to sit down at the kitchen table.

August 2nd, Three years post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan stirred to the light sound of something scrapping across the stone floor in the main room. Opening his eyes, he looking out the open door to find Luke climbing onto a chair, drawing pad and crayons in hand. Getting up, he walked towards the boy, picking up the drawing pad as he dropped it. Luke looked at him with blue eyes that reminded him all too much of his father.

"Thanks," He murmured before opening the old box of crayons and picking out a blue one.

Obi-wan nodded before walking towards the tiny kitchen that was, really, just a stove, an ice box and three square feet of counter space with a standing sink off to the side. Opening the ice box, he checked their supply of food. He'd gone out recently to get some food. He had found out the hard way that Tatooine didn't have much in the way of food. There was meat and synthesized milk that Obi-wan wouldn't give Luke in a million years. Every now and again there was a stall with some fresh fruit but it was very expensive. Still, Obi-wan managed somehow. If he had his way, Luke wouldn't even be on this planet, but Obi-wan was number two on the Empire's most wanted list and that put Luke in danger. So, as a criminal, Obi-wan thought it wise to live among other criminals. The Empire very rarely bothered with this planet.

Sighing, Obi-wan pulled out a package of beef strips—at least, he was pretty sure it was beef—that came with a nice sauce on them that made up for the tough, chewiness of them. They were also precooked, which was good because the stove was fickle at best. He also pulled out a plant that was supposedly a relative of spinach and their supply of water. Fortunately Luke's aunt and uncle had a moisture farm and were only too happy to make sure Luke had fresh water.

"Fargus aga'n," Luke whined, hating the grainy vegetable that vaguely reminded Obi-wan of seaweed.

"Would it help with I heated it up and put some cheese on it?" Obi-wan suggested.

The boy thought about it before shaking his head and looking back down at his art, sighing. He looked back at Obi-wan again, a question on his mind that had been bugging him for a while.

"Ben, why don' I have a mommy or daddy like o'her kids?" He asked.

Obi-wan stilled at that. He'd been expecting the question to come up sooner or later but he figured he had a least a few more years before Luke asked, maybe after he started school. He supposed it was because Luke had recently made some friends in town.

Sighing, Obi-wan sat down next to Luke. "It's very complicated Luke," He answered, "And you're not really old enough to understand."

"Do I have one?" Luke questioned.

Obi-wan nodded, "You have a dad, and he's out there somewhere," He answered. Standing, he walked towards his room where he kept the notebook and most of his photos. Pulling out the one he was looking for, he walked back to Luke, handing it to him.

"That's him," Obi-wan whispered as he sat down, "That's your dad."

Anakin was only eighteen in that picture but it was the most recent one he had. The war didn't give him much of a chance to take pictures of the two he called family. Luke stared at the picture for a while, seeming to try and memorize every feature of his father's face.

"So, do you know what day it is?" He asked Luke. The boy looked up at him, eyebrows knit together adorably. "It's your birthday, you're three today."

A grin began to split open as he remembered.

"And today we're going to see Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen," Obi-wan added before tossing a look at the fargus like it personally offended him, "But not until we've had breakfast."

August 2nd, Three years post Galactic Empire

Mia had gotten Leia into a nice white dress with lavender trim and put a bow in the girl's hair, pinning some of it away from her face. She looked so adorable that Mia and Anakin had taken a photo before they left. Leia had insisted on holding both their hands as they walked down the street towards the little café, giggling with delight as Anakin and Mia lifted her up and swung her in the air.

Anakin held the door open, letting Leia and Mia walk in ahead. It was surprisingly crowded, mostly with little girls and a parent or two end everyone seated at little round tables with frilly table clothes and trays of food. Anakin found it strangely familiar but he couldn't quite place it.

Because Mia had the foresight to make a reservation, they were seated pretty quickly despite the crowd. Opening the menu placed down in front of him, Anakin scanned down the list of foods.

"Wait, hold on a minute, most of these are traditional Naboo dishes," He commented, eyes scanning down every item in the list.

Suddenly he was remembering, the protection mission that reunited him and Padmé and the third day that they were on Naboo. Padmé had gone with her family to a little tea place—very much like the one he found himself sitting in now—and he'd been so at loss as to what to order that Padmé had ordered for him. Slowly, the longer they were married, the more familiar he became with the dishes from her home planet.

Mia's eyebrows furrowed, "Did you not know that tea houses started in Naboo about a millennia ago?" She questioned, smiling.

Anakin shook his head, very surprised, which only made her grin.

"Well I thought that, since Padmé was from Naboo, that it would be a great idea to take Leia to one," Mia explained, "That's why I made you drive three cities over to go here."

A grin broke out onto his face as he looked down, already deciding what they were going to eat. "I know exactly what we're having," Anakin stated, setting his menu down and completely unable to keep the grin off his face.

Leia looked at him curiously before turning to Mia who just shook her head, "No, I don't know why he's so happy either," She murmured too low for Anakin to hear, "I didn't drug him this time."

The grin slipped off his face as his eyebrows pulled together in confusion, eyes going wide for a moment at hearing her last sentence. Anakin tried very quickly to remember if there were any gaps in his memory or any indications where he might have been drugged. Mia looked at him with a serious expression before the corners of her mouth twitched up.

"Relax, I've never drugged you," She assured him, smirking, "It's sort of an inside joke between Leia and I."

That only served to confuse him more before he realized something, "You told my daughter about drugs?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Mia rolled her eyes, "I didn't," She muttered, "Vivi was over for a cup of coffee and Leia was upstairs. She was telling me about her cousin's drug problem and I didn't hear Leia coming down the stairs and she asked what drugs were."

"They make you rea'y happy," Leia supplied, grinning and giggling.

Anakin gave Mia a sharp look for that, about to open his mouth to tell Leia what drugs were really like.

_Relax, I didn't tell her about them really_, She insisted through the mental bond. "So now, when you are uncharacteristically happy, we just joke that you're on drugs and I was the one who drugged you."

Anakin wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. He was saved from having to think about it too much though, because the waitress walked up, ready to take their order.

August 2nd, Three years post Galactic Empire

As soon as Aunt Beru had opened the door she'd picked Luke and hugged him tight, peppering kisses to his face. She carted him off into the house, talking animatedly about all the things they had planned for his birthday. Walking in, Obi-wan glanced around for Owen. When he didn't find Owen, Obi-wan just assumed he was out somewhere working, something the man never stopped doing it would seem. He found Luke and Beru in the kitchen, Luke sitting on a very dusty counter and Beru getting him to try something orange and squishy. The boy had a very thoughtful look on his face as he tasted before grinning, seeming to really like it.

"I think he likes it," Beru gasped, turning to look at Obi-wan, "The recipe was so complicated I never thought I could manage it."

Obi-wan's eyebrows furrowed together as he walked further into the kitchen, "What's the recipe?"

"It's a dessert my mom used to make when I was a little girl, she passed before she could teach it to me," Beru explained, "But my dad kept it around, written down along with a bunch of her other recipes."

"Can I try?" Obi-wan inquired.

Nodding, Beru took a spoon and dipped it into the bowl, scooping up a bite before handing it to Obi-wan. Tasting it, Obi-wan closed his eyes, surprised by the flavor. It was sweet but it wasn't too intense and there was a sort of buttery taste to it that made it taste rich. He hadn't had anything this good since he'd moved to Tatooine with Luke.

He was looking forward to dessert. "How'd you make it?" Obi-wan asked.

"Oh, my friend, she has this boyfriend who has some sort of cow-type thing," Beru trailed off, "Well, it's not actually a cow but it's a pretty close relative and it makes milk. Truthfully I'm not sure the way the boyfriend bought the cow was strictly legal but," She trailed off again, grinning, "She gave me a great deal on the milk because it was for Luke's birthday."

"Anyway, I just need to put it in the pan and put it in the cooler," She told Obi-wan, "If you can call it that," She added a chuckle, referring to the cooler that wasn't all that cool.

Obi-wan leaned against the counter next to Luke as Beru pulled out a ceramic pan. "You know, I can't remember the last time I had a homemade dessert," Obi-wan mused.

Beru turned, a curious look on her face, "Really? How long has it been?" She inquired.

"Years," He answered, a wry grin slipping onto his face, "I think there was still a Republic then."

Beru's eyes went wide, "Obi-wan, that is far too long to go without sweets," She insisted, sounding insulted that it had been that long. Turning to Luke, she held her hands to her face, "What has that mean man been doing to you? Depriving you of sweets?"

Obi-wan rolled his eyes, "Yes, I know, I'm terrible," He chuckled, "No, I think the last time was when Mia, Anakin and I were all back on Coruscant for the first time since the war. Mia had just come back from the outer rim to teach two new younglings how to hear with the Force. She wanted us to all get together for the night. She cooked and Anakin showed us some weird game he'd discovered on some planet with a name so long it couldn't fit onto the box of the game. The language was also pretty unheard of and we had to make our own rules."

Beru smiled, "You never talk about them," She murmurs.

"That's because it hurts too much," Obi-wan mumbled, his voice breaking, "That was one of the last times we were together before the Empire and the madness that came with it."

"What was Mia like? I've met Anakin, however briefly, what was she like?" Beru inquired.

Obi-wan smiled, "Gentle, sarcastic, kind but ready to put you in your place if she felt she had to. She also loved cooking, some of it she learned from me, some from my late former master and quite a bit by herself. You know what the funny thing is? Even though she's deaf, she can sing and she would never sing unless she was alone. Except this one time," Obi-wan trailed off.

"It was a shit mission from the start, we crash landed. The emergency pack we had was limited at best. We thought we'd make it out alright, without too much trouble. Anakin and I shared the one tent and Mia chose to take the sleeping bag with the fire still lit to keep her warm. The tent caught fire while we were all asleep."

Beru's eyes widened in response.

"I got out alright, just with a singed tunic, it was Anakin who got the worst of it. He had burns all across his back and, even with both the first aid kit Mia carried with her on all of our missions and the one the emergency pack had, we didn't have much to help him. He had to go through the forest in search of civilization."

He hated even thinking about that planet. They'd gone there on two separate missions and both times he'd nearly lost someone he loved. Anakin had dubbed it the 'Shithole of a Planet' and that was the name by which they all referred to it.

"It was the third night and Anakin had taken a turn for the worst. We thought he was going to die that night. So he asked Mia to sing, he'd heard it once when she'd thought she was alone in the apartment and he didn't think he'd ever hear it again. She couldn't say no to him."

"What happened? How'd you get out?" She inquired.

Obi-wan sighed, "Anakin said his goodbyes, a little delirious but he seemed at peace with it. That was what broke us the most. Mia was in tears and I could barely breathe. He was asleep when we decided that I had to run and find help, Mia would watch him. I found a group of hunters from a nearby village and they brought him to a healer. We sent a transmission to the Jedi Council and they came for us, bringing with them enough burn salves to heal Anakin completely."

He chose not to mention the second mission, where Mia was sentenced to death by hanging for refusing a marriage proposal. That was a pretty close call too.

August 2nd, Three years post Galactic Empire

The toy store was beyond crowded. Having never had the misfortune of having to shop there on a weekend or a holiday, Anakin and Mia were completely shocked to see the state of the store. Children ran around, laughing and screaming with excitement, carting toys off to parents who didn't want to say no but might have to. Anakin pulled Leia closer towards him, wary of everyone. Someone nudged his shoulder and he looked down to Mia, smiling reassuringly at him. Moving to stand in front of Leia, she kneeled down so she was at eyelevel for the three year old.

"_Alright Leia_," Mia signed, knowing she couldn't possibly be heard over the noise level of the store, "_You get to pick your birthday present. Two rules: One, can't be dangerous. Two, must be awesome_."

When the three year old nodded eagerly, eyes roaming across all viewable areas of the toys store, Mia motioned for her to go and explore. Not having to be told twice, Leia ran straight in, not sure where to start.

"Are they always this crowded?" Mia asked him.

She usually took care of things like food and basic supplies. Anakin was the one who usually went to the toy store when he thought Leia needed something or just wanted to surprise her. Mia had only been to one twice.

Anakin just shook his head, "I've never seen it like this," He told her, "Must be because of the holiday."

It was faint, but she heard it, the distinct distaste when saying the word holiday when referencing August 2nd. Sighing, Mia moved to glance around, wondering what section Leia would choose for herself. Her head was starting to hurt from all the noise and from a glance she could tell Anakin was having the same problem.

"I have a headache," Mia told him as she quickly stepped to the side for two little girls carting dolls to their mother.

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed together because he, unlike her, was terrible at reading lips.

"I have a headache," She repeated herself, raising her voice even louder.

"You want pancakes again?" Anakin questioned, looking more and more confused.

Huffing and rolling her eyes, Mia sighed, "_No, I have a headache_," She looked around at the chaotic battlefield of the toy store, "_I'm really starting to hate toy stores now._"

He smirked, "_They're not all bad_," He signed back, "_I just don't recommend one on a weekend or a holiday_."

"_If you can call it a holiday_," Mia complained, scowling.

Anakin sighed, nodding, "_We'll make do_," He assured her before smirking again, "_Besides, who knows, maybe in a few years those terrorists Obi-wan's tied up with will take out the Emperor_."

Mia laughed, finding that hilarious, "_Never thought I'd hear the words Obi-wan and terrorists in the same sentence_," She signed, trying to not grin too widely at that.

Then she noticed the two moms looking at them like they had two heads and were fascinating spectacles. She had actually forgotten what it was like to be watched closely as she had a private conversation with someone in public. It was like society couldn't find anything better to do than trying to figure out what strange things she was trying to communicate through her hands. She noticed Anakin turn and look at them before walking towards them.

"I'm sorry, can I please have a private conversation with my friend without being stared at?" He asked them politely, charmingly even.

"Wait, how is that a conversation?" One of them—the dumber looking one, Mia mused—asked, looking completely baffled at the concept.

He turned and looked at Mia, looking just as annoyed at that question as she was. Turning back, he smiled, "It is when my friend is deaf," He answered before frowning, "Now, if you would kindly stop staring at her like that, I'd like for us to not be your current form of entertainment."

With that, he walked back towards Mia, looking proud of himself there. She grinning, "_That was great_," She answered, laughing.

The mom actually looked scandalized to be laughed at, which only made it better for her.

"_I forgot what it was like_," Anakin told her, "_Constantly wishing people weren't so rude_," He grinned, "_Or ignorant_."

"_How is that a conversation_," Mia laughed, mimicking the woman's wide eyes and partially open mouth. "_Haven't heard that one in a while_."

Smiling, Anakin sighed, "_We just haven't signed out in public in a while_," He reminded her, "_Though, now I'm not sure how I feel about_."

Mia shrugged, "_I get by, I just don't like drawing attention to myself, especially with Leia around_," She explained.

He was about to tell her she shouldn't have to but then they noticed Leia bounding up towards them, a box in her hand. It was so big she could barely carry it. From what Anakin could tell of the box it was a plastic house with little plastic figurines. He also noticed that she'd come from the boys' section of the toy store and found that unbelievably awesome. He looked at the label on the box before turning to Mia.

"_What are G-H-O-S-T-S?_" He asked her, finger-signing the name

She rolled her eyes, "_You've never heard of the phenomena of lost loved ones floating around after death?_" She questioned him sarcastically.

He shook his head, "_You know what I mean_," Anakin reminded her, trying to look annoyed.

"_It's a show, Mia and I watch, it's about two brothers who go chasing ghosts and helping people_," Leia answered excitedly.

Anakin looked at Mia, curious and about to ask more questions, before he noticed the two boys chasing each other around with red light sabers and stilled, heart practically stopping. Alarmed by the sudden change in him, Mia turned and watched as one chased the other.

"Get back here you Jedi scum!" One shouted after his friend, "I'm Darth Brutus."

He felt cold and a little sick. Anakin stepped back as his heart sped up at the sight of red lightsabers. Turning, he quickly asked Mia to pay before walking quickly out into the store and into the shopping center where people passed by without a glance. His chest felt tight and he didn't think he could breathe. Sitting down on a nearby bench, he pressed his head into his hands, taking slower and deeper breathes to calm down. He felt it before he noticed Leia's sitting down next to him and rubbing his back like she'd probably seen Mia do Force-knew how many times.

"You're sad again," Leia whispered sadly.

"Sorry to ruin your birthday Leia," Anakin murmured as he looked up at her for a moment, feeling guilty.

Her eyebrows furrowed together adorably, "_I had a great day_," She told him in sign, not seeing how any of this made her day bad, "_It was great. I want to do it more_."

Sitting up, Anakin pulled her into his lap, looking around them. Leia shifted so she was looking up at him. "Why are you sad?" She questioned.

"I just remembered something really bad," He answered back at a whisper.

Mia walked towards them, bag in hand and looking very relieved to be out of there. She had that freeing look on her face that told Anakin she'd probably told someone off about something. Grinning, Mia told Leia to close her eyes. When the three year old pressed her hands to her eyes eagerly, Mia pulled out a purple plastic crown from the plastic shopping back. Carefully, she placed it on Leia's head.

"There, you're a proper princess now," Mia declared, "You've got a crown and everything."

Leia giggled, delighted. "It even matches your dress," Anakin added, laughing.

August 2nd, Three years post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan sat on the old couch in the den of the home of Luke's aunt and uncle. Beru was off in another room teaching Luke how to build an actual fort. If the giggling coming from the both of them was anything to go by, it was going wonderfully. For a moment Obi-wan wondered when was the last time he had made one with either Anakin or Mia. By the time he Anakin on as a Padawan, the boy thought himself too old for forts. Mia was a child at heart and never quite grew out of it. He really couldn't remember, but he'd give anything to make another with them, take a picture of it this time. Obi-wan found that it wasn't until he was much older that he realized he really did have kids, maybe they weren't biologically his and he never had to do things like diaper changes, but he'd experienced parenthood. He saw that now, now that he had Luke.

The back door creaked open as someone walked in or out, most likely Owen. Obi-wan looked up a minute later to find Owen standing in the entryway of the den with two beers in hand. Placing one in Obi-wan's hand, he plopped down on the couch, looking exhausted.

"How's Luke?" He asked Obi-wan.

"Oh, Beru's teaching him the art of fort building," He answered, grinning.

Owen didn't seem to find it all that amusing. Owen just didn't find anything interesting, not since his father, Cliegg, died two years ago. Since Obi-wan had never met them before then he really didn't know what Owen was like before or what his father was like at all. From what Beru mentioned they both seemed light hearted but hard working, but then Shmi died and not long after Cliegg followed.

"Luke should be learning more than just how to build forts," Owen grumbled.

Obi-wan withheld a sigh because this was why he and Owen didn't get along. Owen thought every child needed to be ready for adulthood and responsibility because Tatooine was a hard place to live. Obi-wan thought that it was important for children to enjoy their youth and innocence and that it was better for Luke to just be happy.

Just as he was about to get up and see if he could join in on the fort making, Luke came bursting in and handed Obi-wan a picture. It had a house—or maybe it was a fort, it had flags in the air—and four people in front. One was quite clearly Luke because Luke always drew himself shorter and in green crayon. The next was tall and purple with two straight lines on each side of its head for hair, Beru. The next was Obi-wan, or at least he was pretty sure it was because it had beard marks and Obi-wan had more or less given up on shaving on Tatooine. He couldn't quite pin the forth figure, maybe Owen but this character was smiling and he couldn't recall the last time he'd seen the man smile.

"Who's that?" He asked Luke, pointing to the blue figure with spiky hair.

"My daddy," Luke answered, sounding very pleased before handing Obi-wan the old picture of Anakin he'd forgotten he'd left with the boy earlier that morning.

Obi-wan grinned, he was saving this one. It was going up on the wall. He looked up at Beru standing in the doorway with a smile on her face, "I bet this one's going to make the big bucks as an artist," She predicted.

"Oh, without a doubt," Obi-wan agreed before turning to Luke, "You got his hair right and everything," He complimented the boy.

"Come on Luke, it's almost time for dinner, we need to get you washed up," Beru called, holding out her hand for him to take.

Leaving the picture in Obi-wan's hands, Luke left with his aunt.

"What were you thinking?" Owen suddenly spoke, reminding Obi-wan that he was still there.

"That I would put the picture on my wall and tell him to keep going at that promising art career," He answered seriously, "Seriously, Mia's pictures weren't nearly this good when she was that age."

Owen actually looked a little pissed off at the answer, "I mean telling the boy about his father was dumb enough but you gave him a picture?" Owen questioned, looking like he thought Obi-wan was an idiot.

"Well I wasn't going to lie to him when he asked me about his dad," Obi-wan defended, "Luke's father is a spectacular man and he deserves to at least know what Anakin looks like."

Owen narrowed his eyes at him, "If he's such a spectacular person, why did you take his son from him?" He challenged.

Obi-wan could tell him that, at the time, he was acting rashly. That he'd, for once, just jumped right in and went for it, much like Anakin. Obi-wan could also mention that he never took the chance to really talk to Anakin about it all and that it had become the biggest regret of his life. While he was at it, Obi-wan could also tell Owen about the sleepless nights he had wondering about the man that became his Padawan, his son, his brother, his friend. He might as well add that everything Luke did was a constant reminder of him. And that, after it all, he still loved Anakin, more than anything.

But those were words reserved for Anakin and he was the only one meant to hear them.

Owen would just have to wonder.

September 14th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Anakin watched as Leia dragged Mia down the hill towards the playground of the park, asking Mia to push her on the swings. This was the third time they'd gone to the park since Leia's birthday outing, now that his daughter insisted she go out on more adventures. He actually found he liked it, watching Leia run around, laughing and playing with other children her age. Sometimes they joined, pushing her on the swings or lifting her so she could use the monkey bars—something Anakin had never seen before now. He watched, with a smile on his face, as Leia shouted for Mia to push her higher and higher.

"Cute family," One father, sitting on the bench next to him, commented.

"Thank you," Anakin murmured, watching as Leia got off the swing and grabbed Mia's hand before dragging her to the next thing of interest.

"How'd you and your wife meet?" He asked.

Anakin looked at him for a moment, "We aren't married, she's just a friend," He corrected the man.

He just quirked a brow before turning towards the playground, watching the children as they ran around. Looking back at Mia and Leia, he watched as Leia ran across the jungle gym, declaring she was a pirate of the seven seas—something from a story Mia had read to her. Mia watched, grinning from ear to ear, as Leia pretending to sword fight with another little boy.

The man's words swam through his head though.

Maybe he and Mia weren't together but sometimes, he didn't really think of her as just a friend. Sometimes those thoughts crept up on him. It had started a few months ago. Sometimes it was when he came down to see Mia sitting on the chair in the corner of the living room, legs curled under her and long hair drifting through the air from the open window and he thought to himself how beautiful she looked. Other times it was when she was signing, her hands moving effortlessly through the air, delicate and graceful and he just wanted to grab her hands and trace the lines on her palms, finding the calluses from Jedi training that were slowly disappearing because of the new civilian life they led. One time it was because she was reading to Leia, book propped up in her lap and hands signing the words as she read aloud. Leia was completely captivated, imitating the signs of words she hadn't learned before. He thought to himself that, even though Leia would never know her mother, he was glad she at least had some sort of mother-figure in her life who cared for Leia like she was her own.

So when Mia walked towards him, smiling as she pulled all her long hair over one shoulder, Anakin wanted to get up and kiss her, lacing his fingers through her hair.

It was all scary and new because Anakin hadn't felt like this in years. Since Padmé had died he thought his life would never return to normal, that he'd never find happiness and he'd never love another woman ever again. Part of him was afraid that by thinking about and wanting Mia like this he was slowly betraying Padmé and forgetting her.

He felt this way when he and Padmé had gotten together, that by being with her he was slowly betraying Mia even though they'd been forced to break up over a year before.

It was all so crazy and new and still so right and familiar all at the same time. Anakin was terrified of it all. So many questions and what-ifs and scenarios that Anakin sometimes felt nauseous just thinking about it all.

September 19th, Three years post Galactic Empire

There were lots of things Mia didn't tell Anakin about. She didn't tell him that she had nightmares too. They didn't happen as often but they were there and they came in many forms. Sometimes it was about the war, especially battles where someone had died. She had dreams about what might have happen if Anakin couldn't come back from the dark side. There were nightmares where Anakin or Obi-wan died and she'd failed to save them, sometimes missions where it had really been a close call and sometimes in scenarios she'd never experienced before. Then, every now and again she had nightmares of being trapped somewhere. It was always dark and she was usually hurt or in the process of being tortured by masked men. Those were the dreams that scared her the most because they felt the most real. They left her sitting up in bed, chest heaving for air and her entire body coated in sweat.

She didn't tell Anakin that she saw Leia as her own. She may never be the girl's biological mother but sometimes she caught herself almost referring to Leia as her daughter to other people, friends or strangers or even Anakin, once or twice. She loved Leia more than life itself and she would do anything to protect her. Mia sometimes found herself in Leia's room as the girl slept, just watching for a little bit, sometimes pushing a lock of hair away from her face or pulling the blankets up to her shoulders. Leia was everything to Mia.

Mia also didn't tell Anakin that she still loved him. Even after all this time, from the war and his marriage with Padmé to Anakin falling to the dark side and struggling to climb back up, to the long healing process that came with that, she still loved Anakin. It was his mischievous smile and the way his blue eyes lit up with it. It was the way he came home with grease and motor oil on him, exhausted from a long day of work but came alive the second he saw her and Leia. It was the way he looked at her with such an intensity in his eyes, like she was the only person in the universe. Mia loved Anakin.

But Anakin didn't love her back and that crushed Mia when she let her thoughts stray that way. He was still mad in love with Padmé and still haunted by her death. She was the mother of his children and she was his great love.

When they were young and in love they were everything to each other.

That was a long time ago, far into the distant pass that died away into memories with every passing second. So Mia pushed those feelings aside, she didn't tell Anakin because it would ruin everything between them and that terrified her most.

* * *

At one point in my rather short life I was legally blind and had to walk with a cane (I had eye surgery) and being stared at by strangers was an everyday occurrence for me. Also, I'm almost done with chapter 11 (It would have been done last night but I got yelled at be a 'guest' over a review and it put my in a bad mood so I had to bake cookies. On that note, please review, I'll give you a cookie. Next chapter tomorrow

Also, on a side note, I've actually written some of the whole 'That Shithole of a Planet' adventure and if anyone is interested I'll post it when I'm done. It's in two parts and I'm most of the way done with part one.


	9. When Everything Seems Alright

October 5th, Three years post Galactic Empire

It was sunny and beautiful, the wind was gentle and the world was calm. Mia walked through the outdoor market, stocking up on food while Anakin spent his day off with Leia. One thing she always liked about this market was that everything was fresh and affordable. She loved the way it bustled with people. Walking towards the cart carrying coffee beans, she bought a pound, watching as the man scooped them in and poured them into a small bag, weighing it until it was about a pound, about an ounce more, before closing the top of the bag and handed to her. Smiling, Mia dropped the right amount of credits into his hand before turning to walk away. She was surprised, however, when she bumped into someone.

Mia looked up at the man, blond and with emerald green eyes. She smiled, apologizing, "Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry, I should have been paying more attention," He told her, smiling charmingly, "I'm sorry, but you look incredibly familiar, have we met before?"

She looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowing as she tried to place him. He did look familiar but she couldn't figure out where she might have met him. "We might have," She murmured, "I can't think of where though."

Walking towards the next stand, she looked over the various foods, noticing as he followed her. "Do you come here often?" He inquired.

She laughed, "Is that a pick up line?" She teased him.

He shrugged, looking unabashed, "It depends on whether or not it worked," He told her boldly, "I'm Revan," He added, holding his hand out.

"Mia," She answered, taking his hand and shaking the offered hand as she smiled.

"Mia, that's a lovely name," He told her, "I don't suppose it's short for something."

She shook her head, "No, just Mia," She replied as she picked up some apples that were a deep shade of red.

"Well, Mia, I know this must seem very forward but I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me," Revan told her, making her turn to him in surprise. "There's this lovely place by the lake that has the best food."

She didn't know what to say for a moment, "That sounds great," She answered, "I'd love to."

"Maybe in two days?" He suggested, "That's my day off, I could pick you up around five."

Mia nodded, "Sounds great, let me write down your address," She told him as she pulled the shopping list out of her bag.

Scribbling down the address on the bottom of the page, Mia carefully tore it off before handing it to him with a smile on her face. She'd never been asked out, not on a proper date. Actually, she'd never had a proper date before. Smiling, Revan told her goodbye, wishing her a good day before disappearing into the crowd.

October 7th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Anakin walked in through the front door, tired muscles protesting as he shrugged off his coat. He glanced into the kitchen, noticing the smell of something spicy, to find Mia by the stove, her back to him. Yawning, he walked in, wondering what she was making and why she was making it at three in the afternoon.

"Hey," He spoke up, sitting at the counter.

She looked over her shoulder and smiled, "Hey, how was work?" She asked before turning back to the stove, stirring whatever it was in the pot.

"Uneventful," Anakin answered, "What are you making?"

Mia looked over her shoulder at him, "I'm cooking the last of the lamb I bought on Tuesday for you and Leia. It's going to have this sort of spicy, zesty sause drizzled on top. I'm going to have Leia try it herself before putting it on hers though."

"Are you having any?" He questioned with concern coloring his voice, eyebrows knitted together.

Mia turned to face him, smiling, "I have a date tonight," She answered, unable to stop grinning.

"You do?" He asked, confusion leaking into his voice, "Who?"

"His name's Revan, we met while I was out on Tuesday," Mia answered, "He's taking me out for dinner to this place by the lake."

Nodding, he watched as Mia continued cooking before looking down at his hands, sitting on top of the counter. He was surprised, to say the least. Mia had never really shown an interest in dating, not really. They'd been together for a while but that was different. He didn't know why he'd assumed Mia would never find someone. It was absurd, Mia was always going to meet someone, one day. It was just a matter of time.

After finishing the sauce—which was Leia approved—Mia went upstairs to get dressed. Anakin spent the time playing pretend with Leia. She made him be a dragon so she could save the day and save the villagers—her stuffed animals sitting on the chair in the corner of the living room. He was pretending to breathe fire at Leia when she stopped and looked past him. Anakin turned to see Mia standing there, smiling. She was dressed in a little black dress Anakin didn't even know she owned. Now that he'd seen it Anakin had the sudden urge to take it off her.

"Mia, you look so pretty!" Leia commented excitedly, passing Anakin to look at her closer.

Mia pushed some hair—down instead of in the braid she'd been wearing earlier—and picked Leia up, "Well thank you Leia," She replied with a laugh and a smile.

"Daddy, doesn't Mia look pretty?" Leia inquired.

He swallowed thickly, "Beautiful was what I was thinking actually," He mumbled.

Mia beamed, her eyes shining at that. Suddenly Anakin heard the sound of a speeder pulling up to the curb.

"That's probably him," Mia decided, setting Leia down in the ground before walking towards the door.

Anakin moved to follow but Mia turned and pinned him with a look, "No Anakin, you are not interrogating my date," She insisted before opening the door.

Anakin got a glimpse of a blond man dressed nicely with a bouquet of flowers in his hand before Mia closed the door gently behind her. Leia turned and looked at him with confusion playing her warm brown eyes.

"Who was that?" Leia questioned.

"Mia's date," Anakin answered absently, trying to listen for any bit of conversation.

Leia's head titled to the side and her eyebrows pushed together, "What's a date?"

Anakin pressed his lips together for a moment before turning to Leia, "It's when two people who like each other go and get dinner or watch a movie together. That's why Mia was so dressed up."

"So why don't you and Mia go on dates?" Leia questioned, looking more confused, "You like each other."

Anakin blushed—something hadn't done since he was a Padawan, "Um, no, not like that Princess," He corrected.

"Like what then?" Leia tried, still looking lost.

Anakin sat down at the couch, motioning for Leia to sit down next to him. After she climbed on and scooted herself to Anakin's side, he explained. "I love her like a friend, like you love Demi. I don't love her in a romantic sense."

He wasn't entirely sure how true the latter was though.

"So, you don't want to kiss Mia," Leia concluded, "Not like Demi's mommy and daddy do."

Anakin nodded, not about to open his mouth and verbally lie to Leia because it certainly hadn't been true two minutes ago when Mia stood in front of him looking gorgeous as ever.

October 7th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Mia found that the restaurant was perfect. She glanced over her menu, not sure what she wanted. She'd been out to eat before those places were usually cheap grease-bucket diners and half the time Anakin was eating like a pig and Obi-wan was busy shaking his head in dismay before correcting him. The table before her was set nicely with a table cloth and in the center of their small round table was a little candle and a small vase with two puffy pink flowers.

She looked up at the menu to find Revan watching her with a faint smile on his face. The candlelight lit up his eyes and enhanced the gold in his emerald eyes. Mia smiled and felt herself blush, not used to somebody looking at her like that.

"So, did you grow up on Verron?" She inquired curiously.

He nodded, "I did, my family is a bit up north but, personally, I don't like the cold much," He explained, "What about here? Did you grow up here?"

Mia shook her head, "No, I moved her about three years ago," She answered.

Revan's eyebrows rose with interest, "Oh, where did you live before?" He asked.

"Alderaan," She lied. They'd planned their alias's backgrounds pretty well before they moved, down to towns and places.

He nodded thoughtfully, "Why'd you move?" He inquired after a moment.

"A good friend of mine lost his wife and he needed help with his daughter," She answered before deciding a change in subject was in order, "So, what do you do for work?"

He took a sip of his wine, "Oh, nothing special, I'm just in the security sector, I'm just a body-guard," Revan explained.

Mia nodded, "Interesting," She murmured before taking a sip of her water, choosing to leave her wine relatively untouched.

After they ordered Revan asked her about Alderann, "So what was it like?"

"It's like here but they have a winter, summer and autumn," Mia explained, "Here it's just spring all the time. I didn't live in the capital city, I lived in a small town near the mountains. It was pretty quiet, there wasn't much excitement."

Revan smiled, "What were your parents like?"

"My mother died when I was really little actually, I was raised by my brother for the most part," Mia answered. That much was actually pretty close to the truth because she always thought of Obi-wan as her brother, even after all that had happened.

"What's your family like?" She inquired, changing the subject.

After dinner they walked around the lake. Mia marveled at the floating lanterns, all carrying little candles, making the lake glow with light. Revan slipped her hand in his, it was cool and his palms her rough. She turned and smiled at him, once again noticing the way the light made the gold in his irises stand out. He started to lean in, his eyes on her lips, and Mia found herself leaning in, meeting him halfway. Their lips pressed together, melding into a chaste kiss. Then Revan pushed into it, elevating the kiss into something more passionate. Mia reached up and wound her fingers through his hair, smiling as his hands wound themselves around her waist.

He pulled away, smiling, "I should get you home," He decided.

Mia nodded, smiling a little because he seemed to be the old fashioned type and she found she kind of liked that.

As Revan pulled the speeder up to the curb in front of her house Mia looked at the living room window, finding light streaming through the curtains. She turned and saw Revan smiling as he looked at her before leaning in to kiss her goodnight.

"Goodnight," Mia murmured when they pulled away.

"Goodnight," He replied as she got out of the speeder and walked towards the front door.

He waiting until she walked through the door before driving away. Mia smirked as she found Anakin on the couch, slumped down with his head hanging back. Walking towards him, she gave his shoulder a gentle shake. Anakin opened his eyes wearily before smiling as he realized Mia was back.

"Hey," He muttered, sitting up straight as he realized his neck was stiff, "My neck."

"Well, that's what happens when you sleep on the couch like that," Mia scolded him teasingly before smiling, "Did you wait up for me?"

Anakin nodded, rubbing his eye, "Yeah," He admitted quietly, "How'd it go?" He inquired.

"It was great," She told him, grinning widely.

Anakin smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes, "That's great," He told her before standing up, "I better get to bed."

"Night," Mia murmured as he walked away.

"Night," He returned tiredly.

October 15th, Three years post Galactic Empire

He'd promised to cook for her and Mia was excited to have someone cook for her. She just hoped he was good at it because she'd lived with two men who couldn't cook to save their lives—well, that wasn't very well, Obi-wan could cook to some degree but his knowledge in it was really limited. So Mia picked the blue dress, the one that faded to purple as it reached her knees and decided to leave her hair down again. He seemed to love her hair because he kept touching it every chance he got. It made her smile.

Anakin was in Leia's room when she left, barely acknowledging her as she said goodbye. Leia waved at her, her wide smile infectious. She decided to walk to his apartment, it wasn't very far, just a few blocks and the late afternoon was cool and relaxing.

Revan opened the door to his apartment almost immediately, grinning when he saw her before beckoning her in. "It's almost ready, I'm putting the final touches on it," He told her as he walked into the small kitchen.

"Nice apron," Mia commented sweetly, smirking.

He just sort of chuckled at that, "Well, I wanted to fool you long enough for you to actually try it," He explained.

"I think it's working," She murmured, winking.

He laughed as he opened the oven and pulled out a baking sheet with two chicken breasts. Placing them on two plates before pouring a strange green sauce on it delicately, just enough to season it but not enough to drown it. Mia watched as he poured steaming vegetables onto the plate and placed a roll on each plate.

"Ready," He decided before taking the dishes to the small table.

Mia followed, noticing the wine bottle sitting off to the side and the two wine glasses. "Wine?" Revan offered.

"Sure," She decided.

He poured her glass about halfway, expecting her to not drink very much of it. Mia took a small sip, letting the wine sit on her tongue for a moment. It was surprisingly sweet with a bit of an after taste but it wasn't unpleasant. Her eyes widened with surprise, making Revan's face split in two with a big smile.

"That's actually really good," She complimented.

"Good," He replied, still smiling, "I'm glad."

Taking her fork and knife she started cutting off a small piece of the chicken, making sure she got some of the green sauce to go with it. The chicken was a bit dry but the sauce, spicy and a little bit zesty, made up for that.

"This is good," Mia complimented, surprised because she distinctly remember Revan saying his cooking skills weren't all that good.

"Okay, so I lied about my cooking being bad, but I wanted to surprise you," He admitted with a smirk playing his features, looking a bit cheeky.

"I am surprised, I've never met a man that could cook, well I've met one, but it's been so long," She told him before taking another bite of the chicken.

"Have many men cooked for you?" He inquired, his eyebrows scrunching together with confusion.

She shrugged as she swallowed her food before properly explaining, "Well my brother was never all that good at cooking, he could make a few dishes without much problem but with most other things he was clueless and I was never very good at teaching him. My friend, he's terrible. He usually burns everything he makes," She explained, "So I do most of the cooking at home."

After dinner Revan revealed a dessert he'd made. It was a plum pudding and, while Mia was hesitant at first, she found she really like it. She insisted he give her the recipe so she could replicate it.

Mia was carrying her dishes to the sink when Revan snuck up on her, turning her suddenly making her gasp in surprise. He grinned, unabashed, before leaning in and kissing her passionately. Mia returned the kiss eagerly, gripping the front of his shirt to keep him close as the fingers of her other hand wound themselves in his wavy blond hair. Revan pulled away suddenly and pressed kisses down her neck, making Mia moan with pleasure. The passionate kissing returned and Revan trailed his hands down her waist, past her hips and skimming her butt before reaching her thighs. Mia jumped and he catching her before placing her on the edge of the counter.

She'd almost forgotten what this was like and she couldn't remember why she'd gone so long without this.

"Bedroom," She whispered breathlessly.

October 16th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Anakin opened his eyes slowly, looking up at the ceiling as he rolled over. He found himself nearly falling off the edge of what he realized was the couch. It took a moment to remember, waiting up for Mia and falling asleep. She must have come in late and hadn't woken him. Standing up, he worked the kinks in his back before heading up the stairs. Stepping towards Mia's bedroom, he cracked open the door, expecting to see her sound asleep. Instead he found her room empty and realized that her Force signature was nowhere near here.

He wanted to call her, check in and see where she was, but they didn't have comms. They hadn't thought they'd need them but now he was realizing that it was a stupid assumption. Of course they needed them because unexpected things happened to them all the time.

Anakin was sitting at the kitchen counter with a cup of cold coffee in his hands when the front door open. He was on his feet in an instant, stepping out the kitchen as Mia walked past.

"Where were you?" He questioned.

Mia turned to him, surprised to see him up this early, "Places," She answered vaguely.

"Why didn't you come back last night," Anakin questioned.

Her eyebrows furrowed together, "Anakin you're an adult with two children, I'm sure you can connect the dots," She answered before turning to go up the stairs.

"Mia, you had me worried sick," Anakin told her, following her up.

Mia turned towards him, on the last step, "Anakin, I'm twenty-four, I can take care of myself," She reminded him.

Anakin pinched the bridge of his nose, "I know," He mumbled, "Doesn't stop me from worrying."

Mia nodded slowly, not sure what to say.

"Please, promise me you'll come home every night," Anakin requested, looking up at her grey eyes, his blue eyes almost pleading.

He walked up the rest of the steps, closing the distance between them so that only two steps remained. Even still he stood over her just a little bit, only by a few inches. He stared into her grey eyes, marveling at the way they shined like silver in the dim light. Anakin loved her eyes because he could read every emotion in them, she became an open book to him. He resisted the urge to cup her face with his hands and kiss her.

"I couldn't bear it if something happened to you," He murmured softly instead.

Mia nodded, "Alright, no staying out all night," She told him, "Promise."

With that she turned and retreated to her room. Sighing, Anakin walked back down stairs. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, Mia with another man. He hadn't really expected it, which was stupid because Mia was an adult. He supposed he had thought that because Mia had never really shown interest in other guys, not after they were forced to break up.

He looked up at the ceiling as he walked into the kitchen, completely lost in his thoughts. Why was it that, when he was just starting to think he was moving on, Mia had found someone.

Whoever he was, he wasn't good enough for Mia. Nobody was, nobody was worthy of having someone as amazing as Mia, especially Anakin himself. He didn't think he really deserved her but it didn't stop him from wanting her in every sense of the word. Wanting her mind, her body, her soul, everything.

October 30th, Three years post Galactic Empire

In the last month or so Mia had been spending more and more time with Revan. Anakin wasn't sure if he was her boyfriend now because she never referred to him as that, she never called him her boyfriend. Maybe it was just casual or maybe Mia was just being secretive, whatever it was Anakin wasn't sure. She also rarely talked about him when Leia was there. He also wasn't sure why that was other than that maybe Mia didn't want Leia asking questions. His daughter was at that age where she kept asking 'why' and Mia probably didn't feel like explaining her relationship with Revan.

It was complicated.

He was heating up dinner, a casserole that smelled like cheese and chicken, when Leia came bounding into the kitchen, curls bouncing. She frowned when she saw Anakin instead of Mia.

"Where's Mia?" She questioned, sounding disappointed.

Anakin sighed, "She's with her guy-friend," He answered quietly.

"Why?" Leia questioned.

"Because she likes spending time with him," Anakin answered tiredly.

Leia huffed, "She's never here!" She whined, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"She was here the last few nights," Anakin pointed out, not looking at his three year old daughter.

Leia just huffed and turned, walking away. Anakin leaned against the counter behind him, scrubbing his hand over his face, wondering what he was going to do. He couldn't very well tell Mia how he felt. She had someone else, she didn't return his feelings. It would ruin their friendship and he couldn't let that happen.

November 6th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Mia rolled onto her back, collapsing next to Revan on the bed, completely spent. She pulling the sheet up, shivering from the cool air in the apartment. She stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. Her mind drifted away from the present moment to memories she'd long ago pushed away. She couldn't help but remember the way it felt to be in Anakin's arms, his rough, calloused hands gliding over her back, sending shivers through her. She remembered the way he always gently pushed her hair away from her face as they had sex, their bodies pressed together like two puzzle pieces, perfect for each other.

She felt someone nudge her shoulder and turned to look at Revan before realizing that he was talking, his lips moving. Mia hadn't noticed that she'd tuned the sounds of the world around her out. Opening herself to the Force, she listened again.

"Sorry, what?" She questioned.

Revan smirked, "I asked if you wanted to get something to eat," He explained, "You must have really been lost in thought, I called your name three times."

Mia nodded quickly, letting him think that that was all it was. She hadn't told him she was deaf, that would mean admitting to being Force sensitive and a Jedi. Despite the fact they'd been together for a month now, she didn't trust him enough with that kind of information.

"Yeah, food sounds good," She agreed, "Maybe something from that diner we ate at a few weeks ago?"

November 20th, Three years post Galactic Empire

The day was sunny and warm, maybe a little too warm but they didn't really mind too much. The second the speeder was parked Leia struggled with the safety seat, trying to undo all the straps. Mia reached over into the backseat and untangled her, watching with a smile as she jumped out the speeder and started running towards the playground. Anakin chased after her, shouting for her not run. He didn't like her being too far away. Getting out, Mia grabbed the picnic basket and the blanket before slowly walking towards the playground as well. Anakin stood by the edge of the playground, watching as Leia ran up the steps and towards the slide, barely noticing Mia walked towards him.

Setting down the basket, Mia took the blanket and got to work spreading it out. Once it was flat on the ground, Mia sat down. Anakin joined her, keeping his eyes on Leia. Leaning back on her elbows, Mia nudged him.

"What's up with you?" She inquired.

His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

"You've been, I don't know, kind of lost in thought, distant even," Mia looked at him closely, "What's been on your mind?"

He shrugged and leaned back so that he was laying down on his back. He looked at Mia, debating whether or not to tell her. He decided on not telling her.

"How've you been?" Anakin asked, turning the question on her, "You've been spending a lot of time with Revan."

Mia nodded thoughtfully, "Good, we're just taking things kind of slow," She answered, "It's not official or anything."

Anakin nodded, "It's just, this is the first time I've ever seen you interested in another guy," He muttered before wincing and wishing he hadn't said that.

Mia shrugged, "He's not the first," She admitted, "I've been with other guys before."

Anakin's eyebrows rose up and he sat up a little, "Wait, you have?"

Mia nodded, "During the war I was in the middle of this siege between us and the Separatists. Their army had taking over this factory, one of the factories that made parts for our fighters. I was there with another Jedi, he and I got pretty close in the five months we were there."

"What happened?" Anakin asked.

Mia sighed, "We defeated the army, we were assigned different missions and I saw him maybe once or twice after," She answered, "I don't know if he's even alive."

"There was also this diplomat, I was assigned to protect him, it was my first solo mission, I was eighteen, almost nineteen," Mia added, "We were together for a while but, after that I went back to the temple and a few months after that he was in an arranged marriage."

Anakin nodded, laying down on his back, in a stunned silence. Closing his eyes, he just felt the sun on him as his thoughts floated away in no direction in particular. Suddenly he felt Leia running towards him. Opening his eyes, he sat up as she sat down on the blanket, telling Mia she was hungry. Smiling, Mia opened up the picnic basket and handed her a sandwich before handing one to him. Unwrapping it from the plastic wrap, Anakin took a bite, chewing thoughtfully as Mia helped Leia unwrap her sandwich. She pulled out a salad in a plastic container for herself.

"Rabbit," Anakin muttered to himself.

Mia laughed, her smile so infectious he smiled with her. "Perhaps," She admitted, "But I like rabbit food," She joked.

"Can I be a rabbit?" Leia eagerly asked, her brown eyes lighting up with excitement.

Smirking, Mia pulled out a fork and handed it to Leia, letting her have a few bites before handing Leia her apple. Munching on the apple happily, Leia left her sandwich half eaten. Finishing his sandwich, he reached into the picnic basket, expecting some sort of salty or sweet snack somewhere in there. When he found a plastic baggy of vegetables instead, he frowned.

"Someone's replaced my snacks with her rabbit food," He stated, looking at Mia accusingly.

She smirked, "It won't kill you," She reminded him before taking the vegetables from his hand and pulling out a carrot stick for herself.

Sighing, he took one and munched on it, looking supremely displeased.

"No Daddy's a rabbit," Leia laughed, smiling as she took a celery stick.

Anakin rolled his eyes but smiled anyway, "Yeah, yeah, I'm a rabbit," He agreed, scrunching his nose at her like other rabbits, making Leia giggle.

Following suit, Mia placed her hands behind her head, making rabbit ears with the index and middle fingers on her hands, wrinkling her nose at the girl. Leia laughed and mimicked Mia.

"You're so adorable," An older lady spoke up, making them all turn to her, "And you and your wife have such an adorable daughter."

Anakin sat there in stunned silence, opening his mouth to tell him that Mia wasn't his wife but he hesitated. It had happened before, people had assumed they were married or at least together and he'd always been quick to correct them. But today he hesitated and before he could make himself speak the lady walked away with her husband and what was likely her granddaughter, a few years older than Leia. He turned and Mia was looking at him curiously, probably wondering why he'd hesitated. With nothing to say, Anakin grabbed another celery stick and chewed it slowly.

December 14th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Revan had taken her to the restaurant from their first date and they were chatting happily. Mia watched him as he talked about one of his co-workers animatedly, gesturing widely and smiling. She nodded, listening but unable to keep her mind from straying. It was two and a half months into the relationship and she knew this was when most couples fell in love. But as she looked at him, the way his hands gestured widely, she couldn't figure if she did. There was definitely chemistry, that she couldn't deny, but she didn't have the warm sensations in her heart that came with love. Mia knew what love felt like and she knew how strong it could be sometimes but when she thought about Revan the feelings weren't there. She wanted them to be but, try as she may, she couldn't force them.

"I love you," He spoke up suddenly, making Mia suddenly tune in, her eyes going wide.

Her mouth fell open ever so slightly and she stopped breathing for a moment. "Wow," Mia murmured, looking down at her bread plate.

Revan looked at her expectantly, clearly wanting her to say it back.

"Revan, I really care about you but, at the moment, the feelings aren't there," Mia told him, "That's not to say I won't ever love you it's just going to take me a bit longer to feel that way."

He nodded, looking a little wounded but plastered on a smile, "It's alright, I'm glad you were honest with me instead of telling me what I wanted to hear," He told her.

December 15th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Anakin trudged into the kitchen tiredly in dirt stained sweatpants and a ratty old shirt with a faded design on the once-black-now-grey material. He found Mia sitting on the counter, facing the stove and looking lost in thought, eyes glazed over like she was seeing something else. Her coffee cup sat beside her, no longer steaming. Rubbing his eyes, he tried calling her name to get her attention but it didn't work. Sighing, Anakin tapped the counter with his hand, hard enough to send vibrations. It got her attention and Mia looked over at him, surprise playing her features.

"_Morning_," Mia signed, too tired to talk verbally.

"_Morning,_" He answered, his voice groggy, "_You came in early last night_."

Mia shrugged, "_Yeah, kind of didn't feel all that great_," She signed slowly with her right hand only, her movements slow and almost nonexistent.

"_What's wrong, are you sick?_" Anakin questioned, looking worried.

Mia shook her head, "_No, it's not that_," She answered, sighing.

Taking her cup, he dumped the cold coffee into the sink before pouring a new cup for the both of them. He returned the cup to Mia's open hands and situated himself so he was standing in front of the stove, facing her head on.

"_What is it?_" He inquired, his eyes showing her that there was no room to get around it.

Mia sighed again, shrugging, "_I don't even know why it's a problem, I mean, I should be happy, right?_" She signed.

"_What are you talking about?_" Anakin questioned, his eyebrows furrowing together with confusion as worry continued to overtake him.

"_Last night Revan told me he loved me_," Mia explained.

Anakin nodded slowly, "_And you don't love him back_," He signed back, his hands hesitant and slow.

Mia nodded, "_That basically sums it up pretty nicely_," She answered, sarcasm leaking into the way she signed.

"Why do you think you don't love him?" Anakin inquired, trying to swallow his hopes down because right now was a really bad time.

She shrugged, "_I don't know, I just know that the feelings aren't there and that when I'm there I'm not all the way there_," Mia looked at him like she wondered if he even understood, "_Maybe it's because of all the crap we've been through, it's been making it hard to trust people and trust is a bit part of love but I'm not ready to trust him with everything and it's so freaking complicated and_," Her hands when from signing rapidly, jerkily even, to not at all, falling limply to her sides.

January 2nd, Three years post Galactic Empire

Recently Revan had been insisting on meeting Anakin and Leia but Mia had been making excuses left and right for him not to. That he and Anakin had different schedules and that there was no way they could get together. That the house was a mess right now. That Leia had a cold. That it wasn't convenient. Of course, Revan was starting to get impatient with her excuses, asking if Mia was ashamed of him and asking why she didn't want him to meet her family. Then there was the fact that every time he saw her, dropped her off, kissed her, had sex with her he told her he loved her and looked at Mia like he expected her to say it back. But she didn't because she still didn't feel that way about him. She didn't even know why she didn't but she didn't. Maybe it was because she didn't trust him enough to tell him who she really was. Maybe it was because he didn't know she was deaf and she constantly felt like she had to be careful around him.

Whatever it was, Mia knew she didn't love him and she was beginning to think she never would.

That night she was up late with Revan, talking. They'd been drinking wine and eating berries with ice cream. It was late and she knew she should be going home but the conversation was serious so she stayed, listening carefully even as she fell asleep.

Mia woke up the next morning in a bed that was not hers. It took her a moment to realize it was Revan's bed. She couldn't remember the events of last night, Revan poured her a second glass of wine and it blurred out from there. Someone tapped her shoulder and she turned to see Revan looking at her with a smile on his face.

"I said 'good morning'," He reminded her, his lips moving but no matter how hard she focused on the Force she couldn't hear his voice.

"Morning," She murmured, not able to hear her own voice.

Pulling the covers off, she stood up. The world around her blurred and swayed and Mia fell to the side, hitting the ground hard. Something was definitely wrong. Standing up she tried to walk towards the door but she fell again, this time on her face. Someone took her hands and helped her up, keeping a close hold of her arms to steady out. Mia looked up at Revan, about to tell him that she thought something was seriously wrong when he scowled at her and slapped her hard.

She fell to the ground again, stunned and scared. He'd drugged her, she knew that now. Standing up as quickly as possible, she leaned heavily against the wall, trying to get to the door. Revan grabbed her arm and forcefully turned her to him, making her gasp

"No, let me go!" She demanded, a little scared to not be able to hear her own voice.

He just laughed at her, or at least she was pretty sure it was laughter. The way he grinned and tilted his head back, his chest rising and falling quickly make her think it was laughter at least. Struggling against him, she got free for a second, long enough to get out of the bedroom and try and get to out of the apartment. Revan grabbed onto her before she couldn't even make it from the hallway to the door.

His lips were moving but she couldn't focus enough to read them. She settled for kicking him where the sun didn't shine. Released from his hands, however temporary, Mia made a run for the door. The ever present vertigo amplified the more she moved and Mia found herself stumbling forward and falling on her face. A sharp pain echoed through her ribcage, making her cry out in pain as she belatedly realized it was a boot that caused the pain. Then there was a sharp but considerably smaller pain at the side of her neck.

_**Needle, being drugged**_, Mia thought sluggishly as darkness fell over her.

January 2nd, Three years post Galactic Empire

Anakin sat at the kitchen table, his leg bouncing restlessly. Mia hadn't returned home last night. When he woke up this morning that had worried him but not too badly because he figured she'd just crashed at Revan's. But she hadn't come back and she hadn't called. At dinner Leia kept asking where Mia was and refused to eat her dinner, instead running upstairs shouting that she missed Mia. Scrubbing his hand over his face, Anakin walked out the kitchen and into the short hallway next to the front door. He was surprised to find a white envelope on the ground next to the door. Figuring he'd just dropped it when he'd collected the main, Anakin picked it up.

**Anakin Skywalker**

The sight of his name, his real name not the alias he went by, on the envelope sent shivers down his spine. He ripped it up, worry sinking into his chest.

**Skywalker, it's simple. Your life for hers. Come alone, unarmed or she dies.**

Anakin felt cold and numb as he turned the paper over, finding an address typed up on the back. Swallowing back the nausea and the worry, Anakin hurried upstairs and got Leia, still sitting on her bed sulking. He coaxed her into leaving her room and staying with the Hawthorns for a little while. His neighbors were more than understanding and didn't ask too many questions when he said there was an emergency and he had to have someone watch Leia for a while.

Taking the speeder, Anakin drove to the address. It was an old, abandoned factory and in the pale moonlight it looked haunted. The windows of the front of the factory were lit dimly, but enough that he was certain Mia and whoever had kidnapped her were there. Getting out of the speeder and careful not to make a sound, Anakin scouted the nearby area. There was a front door and he was certain it wasn't locked but whoever was waiting for him would be waiting there, expecting him. Instead he stood under the tall second story windows. From there he could see the ledge in front of the window was just wide enough to stand on. Reaching out with the Force, he leaped into the air and landed silently on the ledge, balancing himself against the window. In the center of the factory floor was Mia, chained to a pillar, blindfolded and wearing a Force-suppressing collar. Her knees were pulled tight to her chest in a protective way. The sight of that made his blood boil because it left her deaf and blind to the world around her and he could tell, even from this distance and with her Force signature dampened into almost nonexistence, Mia was terrified.

He couldn't see anyone though, whoever it was, they were hiding. They were waiting for him to come bursting through the door. He searched the building out, but whoever it was had shielded themselves as well. Anakin would have to draw them out. Taking in a calming breath to soothe his nerves, Anakin stepped through the broken window, careful of the occasional shard sticking out, and jumped, landing gracefully.

"Anakin Skywalker, about time you showed up." He looked to the dark corner behind him to see a blonde man walk out.

Anakin stared at him, completely surprised. It wasn't some stranger with a grudge or a anyone from the Empire, this was Grev Grandy and he was a Jedi, only a few years older than Anakin. He distinctly remembered watching the Jedi flee when he'd stormed the Temple during Order 66, try as he may to forget it all. He looked a little different, more tanned and his dark, inky hair was now blond.

Immediately he ignited his lightsaber, the blue light glowing in the dimly lit room.

The other Jedi scowled, "I told you not to bring a weapon," He reminded Anakin, anger dripping in his slithery voice, "I guess you want the girl to die just as much as I do."

Anakin attacked Grandy head on, aiming for his heart. Grandy lit his blue lightsaber, blocking him just in time. Pulling back, Anakin swung a downward arc aimed for his right shoulder, finding himself blocked and pushed back by the force of Grandy. They clashed again, Anakin putting all his strength into the fight. Grandy swung his lightsaber horizontally, almost cutting through Anakin's chest but Anakin backed up just in time, instead stabbing his saber forward. His opponent parried and dodged his next few attacks before returning with a few of his own. Anakin stopped a stab aimed for his head, side stepped a vertical slice and blocked a move aimed for his right side.

"You're despicable for the things you've done, Skywalker!" Grandy shouted, charging him with another attack.

"I never held an innocent woman hostage," Anakin yelled, blocking the attack and pushing him back.

"She's worse that you are!" Grandy shouted, his face contorted with rage, "She knew what you had done, what you were capable of and she had countless opertunities to kill you but you know what she did instead? She helped you, help raised your daughter."

Anakin attacked him head on, pushing Grandy back with every attack.

"And you know what, when I've killed you, I'm going to kill her slowly," Grandy decided, looking very pleased with that decision, "Piece by piece."

Reaching into the Force, Anakin threw the Jedi across the room. Grandy landed on his back on a conveyer belt. Standing up, he smirked. Anakin felt the stirrings of something darker in the air and the way it felt like the room had gotten colder. He recognized that feeling all too well, Grandy was reaching towards the dark side of the Force. It happened quickly and it took Anakin by surprise as Grandy reaching into the Force and flung him forward. Anakin collided with the side of the conveyer belt, the force of it knocking the air out of his lungs. Staggering back, Anakin tried to breathe in, noticing the pain that felt very much like a cracked, possibly broken, rib. Pushing down the pain, Anakin jumped onto the conveyer belt and attacked Grandy.

"I spent three years tracking you down. What a surprise when, while hiding out on this little hole-in-the-wall planet, I find her walking through the market. She was easy enough to charm. Hey, I thought it would be harder, I figured she was still in love with you," Grandy told him as their sabers clashed, blow after blow, "She always did follow you around like a lost little puppy."

"Of course, then you traded her in for your dead senator," Grandy added.

Anakin kicked him hard in the chest, sending him stumbling back.

Grandy just smirked, "Struck a nerve, have I?" He questioned before charging back at Anakin full force.

Somewhere in the heat of battle the conveyer belt turned on. Anakin watched as they neared a door curtained with black plastic strips, leading into the mysterious next room. They continued to fight, blow for blow, even as they were carried into the next room.

"Once you're dead I'm going to torture her, slowly, until every last drop bleeds," Grandy bragged, "And then, I think I'm going to find your little girl. Maybe I'll kill her, maybe I'll take her and raise her to be a Jedi."

Anakin pushed him back with the Force, struggling to not use the dark side as Grandy taunted him and pulled it around him like a protective blanket. "You're hardly a Jedi now," Anakin stated, watching the way yellow bleed into his irises.

He noticed the conveyer belt tool behind Grandy, shaped fairly similar to a knife. Grandy charged towards Anakin, lightsaber raised but Anakin pushed him back with the Force. His eyes, once green, now gold, widened with surprise as the knife like tool sliced through his chest. He looked down and Anakin followed his eyes to see the tip of the blade poking out of his chest. Blood spilled out of Grandy's mouth, dripping down his chin as his labored breaths died out slowly. Taking a deep breath, Anakin got off the conveyer belt and walked towards the front room, finding Mia still chained to the pillar. Taking his lightsaber, Anakin sliced through the chains effortlessly, watching as Mia tensed, shaking. Kneeling down in front of her, he removed the Force-suppressing collar first and then the blindfold, noticing the way it was damp with tears.

Mia looked at him, shocked but the fear was slowly draining from her eyes as relief took over. She lunged into his arms, winding her arms around his neck as she cried with relief. Anakin rubbed her back soothingly in circular motions, whispering encouraging words.

"What happened?" Anakin inquired.

She didn't answer, just kept her head buried in the crook of his neck as she curled up into his arms, seeking safety.

"How long have you been here?" He tried.

When she didn't respond Anakin worried that it was the lingering effects of the Force-supressing collar. Gently taking her arms, he pulled away so he could look into his eyes.

"What happened?" He asked.

Her eyebrows furrowed as her eyes watched his lips. Anakin nodded and moved his hands, signing the question.

"_Revan, he drugged me but I don't know what he used. It cut off me off the Force and it hasn't worn off_," She answered, tears in her eyes as she signed, hands shaky, "_Anakin, he's a Jedi and he's been hunting you down_."

Turning, Mia looked around for him, "_Where is he?_" She asked, her hands jerky and shaky.

Taking her hand, Anakin got her attention, "_He's gone and he's never going to hurt you, ever again,_" He promised her, "_Come on, let's get you home_."

The ride in the speeder was quiet and Anakin suspected that wasn't just because he couldn't pay attention to her signing or sign back. He glanced at Mia, she had her head pressed to the window of the speeder, her eyes glazed over. She hadn't answered most of his questions, like how long she was there or if she'd been hurt. Anakin was beginning to suspect shock. He didn't know much about medicine or how to treat most conditions—save for frostbite and stomach flu—but he did remember that Mia always took anyone suffering from shock to some form of emergency services, no matter what.

Pulling over, Anakin tapped her arm, watching as she slowly turned to look at him.

"_How do you feel?_" He asked as he gently pressed his index and middle finger to the pulse point on the left side of her neck.

"_Tired_," Mia answered, her hand moving sluggishly.

He noticed that her breathing was also shallow. Nodding, Anakin pulled back onto the road, turning around and heading towards the hospital. Mia didn't even notice they weren't heading home anyway. When they pulled into a space in front of the hospital, Anakin shut the speeder off and quickly moved to get out and walk around the car. He opened Mia's door slowly and helped her get out. She stumbled, clearly still feeling the effects of the drug. Wrapping her arm over his shoulder, Anakin stabilized her and helped her walk towards the doors of the emergency room.

"I'm in shock aren't I," Mia slurred.

He was surprised she'd realized that, she'd been pretty out of it before. Anakin settled on nodding, not able to free a hand to sign any form of response at her. Noticing them, one of the orderlies brought over a wheel chair, helping Mia sit down. It didn't escape Anakin's notice the way she seemed very uncomfortable being touched by him, she didn't even seem all that comfortable being touched by Anakin. It just made him want to kill Grandy or Revan or whoever the fuck he was all over again.

He wheeled her up to the front desk, not sure what to do next, "Um, she's in shock and I," He trailed off, uncertain.

The woman at the desk looked at Mia and nodded before handing him a clipboard with paperwork on it, "Fill this out while we check her over," She requested before motioning for an orderly to bring her.

"I need to come with her," Anakin told them before they could take her away, "She's deaf and she needs someone to translate for her and I know sign language."

Nodding with a sigh, the woman at the front desk motioned for Anakin to follow Mia and the orderly into the next room. He sat down in the chair in the corner as they attached Mia to several monitors, things for heart-rate and blood pressure.

"Mia, are you in pain?" The nurse asked her.

Mia look at her in confusion before turning to Anakin, "_Are you in pain?_" He translated.

"Not really," She answered verbally, her voice slurred, making Anakin wonder if it was because she couldn't hear herself talk or because the drug was still running through her system.

"Mia, do you remember what the date is?" The nurse asked, glancing at Anakin as he translated.

"January something," She mumbled.

The nurse sighed and turned to the orderly holding up a clipboard, "Heart rate, oxygen and blood pressure are low," She told him, "Take her in right away."

Anakin followed them into the chaos of an emergency room. Anakin hadn't really been in one before now, not a civilian one at least. He'd seen Mia volunteer at the healing ward at the Temple before, always looking like she was in her element. He waited from the other side of the curtain as a female nurse helped her into a hospital gown. A few minutes later she opened the curtain and walked away.

Anakin stopped her for a moment, "Is it possible to get a female doctor?" He requested nervously, "She was attacked by her boyfriend and she's been a little cagey around guys I've noticed."

Nodding, the nurse smiled reassuringly before walking off with the promise of finding the right doctor. Turning, Anakin walked towards Mia who was laying down flat on her back, legs elevated by two pillows. The nurse came back a moment later with two warm blankets to keep her warm.

"How do you feel?" Anakin inquired as he sat down at a chair by her bed.

She gave him a confused look, like the answer should be obvious, "I'm in a hospital, what do you think?"

He laughed, nodding, "I suppose I walked into that one," He signed back.

The curtain opened and a middle aged woman walked in, smiling gently. "Hello Mia, I'm Dr. Vegier," She introduced herself, holding her hand out for Mia to shake it.

Anakin moved into translating mode effortlessly, "_Hello Mia, I'm Dr. V-E-G-I-E-R_."

"Nice to meet you," Mia mumbled.

"Mia, can you tell me what brought you here?" Dr. Vegier inquired, not at all fazed that Mia was looking past her and at Anakin as he translated. Brushing some blond hair behind her ear, Dr. Vegier reached for her stethoscope and started examining Mia.

Mia furrowed her brows as she tried to remember, "This guy I was dating," She started, "He attacked me, out of the blue. He found me," Mia explained, gesturing to Anakin as she tried to remember the stupid alias they'd picked for him.

The doctor nodded, "Well Mia, I'm going to draw for blood, get a urine sample and we'll see where to go from there," She explained to her, "In the meantime, just rest."

It was a long night that mostly consisted of Anakin just trying to keep Mia talking as the shock wore off and she began to feel more herself. She was released early in the morning with orders to rest and take it easy.

When they got home Anakin went and got Leia, answering some of the Hawthorn's questions before going inside. Leia went upstairs, saying she wanted to say hi to Mia. Anakin lingered at the stairs, still not able to fully grasp the entirety of what had just happened. Groaning, he walked up at the stairs, finding Leia standing at the top of the steps.

"Shh, Mia's going to sleep," Leia whispered.

Anakin nodded, "It's been a long night for both of us Princess, so I'm going to get some sleep too, yell if you need anything," He told her with a yawn before passing her.

Leia went downstairs, stating that she'd go and watch cartoons. Just before going into his room, Anakin decided to take a peek in Mia's room and make sure she was alright. Cracking the door, he looked but, instead of seeing her in bed like he'd expected, he found her standing in front of the dresser, her shirt raised as she looked at the angry red and purple bruise on her ribcage in the reflection of the mirror.

Before he really knew what he was doing, he walked into her room. She jumped in surprise, quickly pulling her shirt down in an attempt to hide the bruise. She met his sad gaze, her grey eyes shadowed and not quite all there. Crossing the distance behind them, Anakin reached forward and pulled her into a hug. She stiffened up at first before relaxing, wrapping her arms around him before pulling away.

"_I'm tired, I'm just going to sleep_," She told him.

Anakin nodded, "_Before you do, I just want to say that I'm sorry_."

Mia's eyebrows pressed together in confusion, "_What are you sorry for?_"

"_I should have known, I should have checked up on him,_" Anakin answered, "_I was supposed to protect you and I failed at that_."

Mia's eyes softened, "_Anakin, you don't have to apologize. You didn't do this to me, he did and you saved my life_," She reminded him, "_Thank you, thank you for being there_."

Anakin nodded, not sure what to say now. Instead he opted for wishing her goodnight and walked out her room, going to bed.

January 3rd, Three years post Galactic Empire

The effects of the drug had worn off before Mia had even woken up. As she felt the Force liven up around her, she was left with the memories of the last twenty-four hours. Curling up on herself, Mia pressed her head to her knees, silently scolding herself for even falling into that situation. She should had noticed something was wrong, should have gotten away when she realized. She should have paid more attention to when he was pouring her second glass of wine at the very least. But she didn't and she paid the price. Revan—Grev, she reminded herself—had lured her towards him with charming smiles and nice words. How had she not noticed the darkness in him?

Getting up, Mia picked up a towel and walked into the bathroom she shared with Leia and Anakin. She turned the shower on, making the water hotter than usual and stripped down. The bruise covering her ribs screamed at her. As she noticed her reflection she began to see the subtle formings of bruises around her cheek where he'd hit her and around her neck where the Force suppressing collar had been. Tears prickling her eyes, Mia turned away and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash over her.

She felt dirty and used. She felt stupid and scared and angry. She felt violated. Mia didn't even know why she felt that way. After all, it wasn't rape, she'd consented to it, she was an adult and he hadn't forced himself on her. But rationalizing that didn't make the feelings go away. Sliding down the tile wall to the floor, she curled up in herself, letting the hot water sting against her back.

January 19th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Mia sat on the cold examination table in nothing but her bra and a thin paper gown that didn't offer any warmth. She waited for the doctor to return, rubbing her arms to try and spark some warmth. Finally the door creaked open and her doctor walked in, smiling.

"Well Ms. Lilkov, we've got the results from the urine sample, you're pregnant," The doctor told her, smiling.

"But that's impossible, I was in the emergency room less than a month ago, I wasn't pregnant then," She argued even though she knew it was completely possible and that it probably had been too soon to show up on the tests then.

The doctor nodded, "Yes, well according to the hormone levels, the baby is only a few weeks old," She explained before handing Mia a series of packets, "This is some information about pregnancy and adoption and even terminating the pregnancy if you wish."

Mia nodded numbly, looking at the brochures with absent eyes. What was she going to do? She could terminate the pregnancy but that didn't feel particularly right, after all, the child had never done anything to her. But did she really want to bring one of Revan's—Grev's, she corrected herself—children into the world? She could just put the child up for adoption. It would be Force sensitive though, and most likely deaf, it would struggle for all its life between hiding its ability and trying to get through the world unable to hear.

She walked out the examination room and made an appointment to come back and get checked up again. Numbly she walked out the office and went home, her thoughts millions of miles away.

January 30th, Three years post Galactic Empire

It was a relatively quiet morning, Leia wasn't up yet and Anakin was just starting to wake up. He walked down the stairs and in the kitchen, finding Mia by the stove with breakfast meat cooking in a pan. Anakin moved to touch her shoulder, somewhat unconsciously and a bit on purpose. Mia sidestepped away from his touch and looked at him with wide eyes. Then she seemed to realize it was him and not Grev so she turned and walked towards the cabinet, taking a cup and filling it up with coffee before handing it to Anakin in an attempt to cover it up. He knew better though. Since Grev she'd been jumpy, hated being touched by men. Sometimes she'd just tense up and sometimes she step away. There was a few occasions when she pushed the hand or the person away. He understood and he didn't blame her.

February 4th, Three years post Galactic Empire

It was late and he and Mia were watching an old movie on TV. Mia was curled up in a blanket and, for a change, she hadn't chosen to set on a separate couch, instead she was sitting pretty close to Anakin. He'd been trying to coax her into talking about it but she'd been tight lipped about the experience. She hadn't even told him how long she'd been there or if Grev had ever been violent before he attacked her. He supposed he could understand, it was months before Anakin started to open up about his fall to the dark side and that night. He'd be patient, give her time.

Shifting, Anakin moved so that he was closer to Mia, giving her a gentle nudge through the bond they shared as he did it, reminding her it was just him. She tensed for a moment but quickly relaxed, surprising Anakin. They sat like that, arms pressed together as they leaned into each other.

The movie was almost over when she rested her head on his shoulder, eyes drooping down with exhaustion. She gave in, letting sleep overtake her and Anakin sat there, just enjoying the way she leaned into him and the warmth she gave off.

When the movie was over he gently carried her up the stairs and tucked her into bed, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead before he turned off the light and walked out, closing the door.

February 19th, Three years post Galactic Empire

_**She walked over the hill, not quite sure what it was she was looking for. Then a little boy came running up to her, stopping just a few feet short and looking up at her with a curious expression. Kneeling down to his level, Mia got a closer look. He was about two, with dark black hair that fell in curls around his face and grey eyes with such innocence in them. He smiled shyly at her, holding up a small flower he'd probably picked from somewhere up, smiling even wider as she took it from him, accepting the gift. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember the name of the boy. She knew she knew it but she couldn't remember.**_

Mia woke up slowly, images of the top of the hill and the little boy flashing through her mind. She laid in bed for a moment, letting the dream sink in. She wondered if the child was hers. There was an obvious resemblance. That didn't seem quite right because she'd had dreams of that same child for years, longer than she could remember. Sometimes he was older, maybe six or seven and he was reaching out to her, he always looked afraid in those. Once he'd been ten and he just looked at her with hopelessness in his eyes.

Getting up, she went to make tea for herself, knowing that she wouldn't get back to sleep after this.

March 7th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Mia leaned back against the door to her room, fresh from the doctor's office. She was now in her third month of pregnancy and this was about the time where she'd be getting morning sickness and her belly would start to show signs of pregnancy. It wouldn't be very noticeable till she was about five months pregnant but still. In a month she'd get to know the gender of the child. Sighing, Mia curled up on herself, one hand resting against her stomach.

She could still abort it, she remembered. She still had a few months, the law of this planet said a human child couldn't be aborted after five months. Still, she was raised to believe that every life is sacred.

_**Every life is sacred, thank you very much Obi-wan**_, Mia thought sarcastically.

Sometimes she wondered if the child would be a boy like the one she'd seen in her dreams. She wouldn't mind that. It might even be a little girl, like Leia. She liked that too.

She was still terrified of being a mother.

March 17th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Anakin walked out of his room slowly, rubbing his eye as he hoped for coffee. He was just about to go down the stairs when he heard the sounds of someone vomiting. Opening the door to the bathroom, he found Mia hunched over the toilet, throwing up. Leaning down next to her, he pulled her hair away from her face, making sure it didn't get any vomit on it. Mia continued to throw up for several minutes before it subsided into dry heaves. Finally, Mia pulled away and sat back on her legs, looking pale and exhausted. She looked at Anakin, not knowing what to say.

"Did you get food poisoning?" He questioned.

Mia nodded quickly, "Yeah that must be it," She answered, "You and Leia should be careful."

Nodding, Anakin stood up, "I'm going to go make that tea, the one for upset stomachs, you use to make for Obi-wan and I," He decided as he walked out.

"Thank you," She murmured, just loud enough for him to hear.

When Mia came down Anakin had the tea made. She took it from his hands and had a sip. Her nose wrinkled and her eyes scrunched up.

"Too strong?" He questioned.

"Too bitter," Mia answered as she reached for the sugar, "I always added a little bit of sugar for you two so it wouldn't taste so bad."

Anakin nodded, watching as she took another sip, seeming to enjoy it a bit more.

March 20th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Anakin sat on the couch, a book in hand and a cup of coffee on the side table. It was his day off and he was enjoying the morning. He had the entire bottom floor to himself because Leia had Mia upstairs playing house with her. Taking another sip of his coffee, Anakin turned the page in his book. Suddenly Leia came bounding down the stairs. He turned to see the sad look on her face.

"Daddy, Mia's crying again," She told him.

Standing up, Anakin walked upstairs. It was the third time this past week, first time it was because she burned dinner and the second time it was because she accidentally bleached one of his shirts.

Maybe it's just that time of the month, Anakin guessed.

He found her sitting on the floor of Leia's room with a teddy bear clutched to her chest, crying quietly. Making sure to give her a gentle nudge through the Force before touching her, Anakin kneeled down next to her and wrapped his arms around.

"Hey, it's alright," He murmured, pushing a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.

He'd lived with women all his life. First it was his mom when he was just a kid. Then it was Mia who, despite not technically being Obi-wan's Padawan for the first few years practically lived with them. Then it was Padmé and then it was Mia. He was used to women crying and, while he hated to see the women he cared about so sad, he knew what to do.

"What's wrong?" Anakin asked as he rubbed soothing circles into her back.

She shook her head, "It's stupid," She mumbled.

"It's not stupid if it's upsetting you," He insisted, pulling her closer.

"I don't even know why I'm crying about it," Mia told him quietly.

After a few minutes she stopped, wiping her tears away hastily. Standing up, she crossed her arms, mumbling something about going out and getting groceries.

March 28th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Anakin was growing more and more worried about Mia as the days past. For the last ten days or so she'd been sick after every meal. It was especially bad in the mornings. It also hadn't escaped his notice that some foods were absolutely repulsive to her, even ones she'd loved all her life. Not knowing why she was sick, Anakin had been doing everything from picking up on some of the day-to-day cooking so she didn't have to do so much to suggesting every day that she should see a doctor. Every time he suggested that, though, she insisted that was fine and that it would pass in time.

Mia was still trying to keep it a secret, not because she thought he'd be mad or upset but because saying it out loud made it solidify and become real. Fortunately for her, Anakin didn't seem to remember anything he'd learned about reproduction in health class. He also hadn't gotten to spend any time with Padmé during the first two trimesters of her pregnancy. Mia had, she had spent a week home around the fourth month of Padmé's pregnancy and, while it had taken a few days, she'd noticed. She and Padmé had actually gotten pretty close in the three years Mia had known her and there were a few times with Padmé had almost told her but had paused and said something else.

April 8th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Mia picked at her dinner, not feeling particularly hungry. She looked at Leia, eating her vegetables with little prompting from her or Anakin. She glanced at Anakin as well, he was looking at her curiously, like he was trying to figure her out. He'd been doing that a lot, she'd noticed. She was thinking it was about time she just come out about it and tell him. Suddenly she had a sharp pain, making her grip her abdomen, trying not to groan in pain. Taking a sip of water, she tried to wait out the pain. After a minute of two it became dull and began to go away. Sitting up straight, Mia ignored Anakin's look and the way he opened his mouth to ask a question. Taking another bite of her food, Mia chewed slowly, really not wanting to talk about it.

The pain returned suddenly and much worse this time, making Mia slump forward and groan this time. She felt something sticky on her fingers and pulled them up to examine them. Her eyes widened as she saw blood. How, she didn't even know how. This wasn't supposed to happen. She turned to Anakin who looked just as horrified as she felt.

"H-hospital," Mia stuttered, hardly able to speak, "Now."

Getting up, Anakin picked Leia up, quietly telling her they had to go to the hospital. Wiping her hands on the dinner napkin, Mia stood up, following him to the speeder.

April 8th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Anakin sat on the uncomfortable plastic chair, his mind spinning. Leia sat in the chair next to him, looking bored and sleepy. The waiting room was full of sick people who weren't sick enough to be taken in right away. Mia was rushed in though.

Miscarriage, the sign in sheet had said. Mia had written miscarriage as the reason for being here.

He didn't even know she was pregnant. At first he had wondered why she wouldn't tell him something like that, then he remembered who the baby's father would be and he understood why she would want to tell anyone.

She was at least three months pregnant, which explained the mood swings and the morning sickness. Still, the knowledge of that made his head spin.

April 8th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Mia looked up as Doctor Vegier pushed open the curtain and stepped in, pulling it closed behind her. She just looked at the woman's face and she knew, she'd lost the baby. She took a glance at the translator who'd stayed nearby at all times. He rose his hands to translate for her but Mia wished it was Anakin who was there and not some stranger.

"Can you leave for a moment," She verbally requested to the translator, "I think I want to hear this alone."

Nodding, he walked out and Mia sat up, looking at the woman.

"Mia, I'm sorry to tell you this but you lost the baby," Dr. Vegier told her.

Mia nodded, feeling the sadness and depression creep up on her at the news. She found it horrifying that, after all that, she was honestly just relieved. A life, a small but very important life, was over and she was relieved.

"The blood tests show that you have a rather high midichlorian count," Dr. Vegier explained, noticing the way Mia tensed up at that, "Relax, legally I can't release medical records to the Empire and even if I could, I wouldn't."

Relaxing slightly, Mia nodded.

"I'm afraid that Force sensitive women have a very hard time carrying children to term, miscarriage at this stage in the pregnancy is, unfortunately, very common," She explained, "Also, some of the tests showed that you have an irregularly shaped uterus."

She pulled a page out of her folder and handed it to Mia. She saw two diagrams of the uterus, one T-shaped and one shaped more like a Y with the arms sloping down. The latter was normal, hers was the former. Handing the page back to Dr. Vegier, Mia nodded slowly.

"I'm afraid that in the long run it will be very difficult for you to carry children to full term," Dr Vegier explained, "In the meantime we're going to keep you overnight and observe you."

"Alright," Mia mumbled numbly.

April 9th, Three years post Galactic Empire

It was past midnight when Anakin was allowed to see Mia again. Leia was sound asleep in his arms, her head tucked into the crook of his neck. Standing slowly, so as not to wake up Leia, Anakin followed the nurse further into the hospital. Instead of being taken to the emergency room, like he'd expected, he was lead to an elevator that took them to the third floor. The nurse explained that they'd admitted Mia for observation, she didn't mention if the baby had survived. Anakin didn't think it had, just a gut feeling he had.

Mia was sitting up in the bed looking pale and exhausted, dressed in a hospital gown and covered with two blankets. She noticed Anakin and Leia right away as they walked in. Setting Leia down on the comfier-looking chair in the room, Anakin sat down on the plastic on.

"_How do you feel?_" He signed.

She just sighed, "_Horrible, depressed, numb_," She signed.

"_The baby didn't survive, did it?_" Anakin questioned.

Mia shook her head, "_No_," She answered, eyes filling up with tears, "_The worst part is that I feel relieved_."

Anakin moved towards the bed, sitting down in front of Mia. Reaching slowly, gaging her response, Anakin wiped her tears away as they spilled down her cheeks.

He asked the question that had been circling around in his mind for hours, "_Why didn't you tell me?_" He signed.

Mia bit her lip before answering, "_Because talking about it made it real. Because I hated even thinking about it let alone talking about it. Because I didn't know how to tell you_." She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing them away from her face as tears started to spill down her cheeks again, "_Why do I feel relieved? A child is dead and I feel relieved. What kind of terrible person feels that way?_"

Anakin pulled her into a hug, running his fingers through her long hair as he tried to think of an answer. If he was being completely honest with himself, he was a bit relieved too and that made him feel terrible as well. Pulling away, he look into her grey eyes, the variations of muted colors being magnified by her tears so that he could see the faint traces of blue in her eyes and even a bit of gold around her pupils.

"I don't have an answer for that," He told her, "All I can tell you is that anyone in your position would feel the same way and that in no way makes you a bad person."

* * *

Eh, yeah, I know, that kind of erred on the darker side. I don't know what it is but I like to address certain realities in society in what I write and not just in this story. Let me know what you think, I know one of you wanted a more Anakin and Mia centric chapter. I'm posting another Mia and Anakin chapter tomorrow but fortunately it will be a lot lighter than this. Review, it inspires me, I'm working on chapter 12 today.


	10. And When they Come

April 15th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Anakin watched as Mia went through the motions of the day. She hadn't been herself since her miscarriage, hadn't been herself since before Grev attacked her. And if he could go back in time he'd save her from him, save her from all the turmoil she'd gone through the last three or four months. She still hadn't opened up about it, not really, and it made him want to reach out to her all the more. He found her in the kitchen, her back to him as she did the dishes. Crossing the distance between them, he gave her a gentle nudge through the Force to reassure her it was just him before he touched her shoulder.

"I'll take care of the dishes," Anakin told her quietly, "You go relax."

For a second she looked like she wanted to protest but instead she nodded and retreated. After he finished the dishes Anakin made two cups of tea and went upstairs. He found Mia sitting on her bed, her knees pulled halfway to her chest, looking out the window at the cloudy, overcast day. She barely noticed him when he sat down beside her.

"I made tea," He told her, holding her cup out.

She looked over at him, surprised by the gesture. A smile pulled at her lips but it didn't quite reach her eyes. It was a start though. Taking it from his hand, Mia moved to set it down on the nightstand, saving it for when it was cooled enough to drink.

"Mia, please talk to me," Anakin spoke up.

She looked at him again, completely surprised by his words. Frowning, Mia looked away, "What's there to talk about?" She questioned, not noticing the way her voice sounded so sad and dismal.

Anakin placed his cup on the other nightstand and moved so he was sitting on front of her, "I know you don't want to talk about it," He started.

"You're right, I don't want to talk about it," She snapped, looking defensive.

Slowly, he took her hands in his, watching her reaction for any sign that he should stop but Mia didn't pull away or look uncomfortable so he kept her hands in his.

"I know I'm not the poster boy for mental health but I do know that opening up helps, it really does. It takes time and it's hard but it helps you heal better in the long run," Anakin told her quietly, searching for grey eyes that seemed to refuse to meet his.

Finally, she looked at him, sadness clouding over her features. After a moment she closed her eyes, "Where do you want me to start?"

"Where do you want to start?" Anakin asked her seriously.

Opening her eyes again, she glanced out the window again, "I don't know how I missed it," Shem mumbled, "He was never violent, we rarely argued, so when he attacked me I was shocked."

She took a shuddering breath, "He kept pushing to meet you and Leia but I kept making excuses because I didn't quite trust him enough yet. I didn't even tell him I was deaf. Shouldn't that have been a sign? That I didn't trust him enough to share the most basic information."

The way her voice broke with every sentence shattered Anakin's heart into pieces. Tears began to fall from her eyes, so, releasing her hands, Anakin moved to wipe them away. Mia didn't move away, or tense up like he'd expected her to, which he took as a good sign.

"He poured me a second glass of wine," Mia mumbled, "I don't know much of what happened after that, just that I woke up in his bed the next morning. Then he said something to me and I couldn't hear, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't and I had to read lips, that's when I knew something was wrong. I tried to stand up but I stumbled and," She trailed off.

"You don't have to talk about it if you're not ready," He assured you, "I won't force you to do something you're not ready for."

She looked away, seeming to try and summon the strength to continue. After a long moment of silence she looked at him again, "That's when he hit me," She whispered, looking down at her hands, "I struggled, I even kicked him where," She trailed off again, "Finally he knocked me down, injected more of that fucking drug."

Mia sighed, looking down at her hands as she thought of signing but didn't feel up for the added effort, "I was there for hours," She told him after a long pause of silence.

Mia looked up at him, looking relieved. Slowly, Anakin pulled her into a hug, figuring that was enough for now, that it wasn't a good idea to push for more. She returned it, gripping the fabric of his shirt as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

May 19th, Three years post Galactic Empire

It was midafternoon and the sky was full of gloomy clouds, but to his surprise, it hadn't rained. Anakin found himself laying on his back on the couch. Leia was upstairs for her afternoon nap and Mia was out running errands. He was starting to dislike the fact she did them on the days he had off from work, so he could watch Leia, because it meant he spent less time with her. Casting a tired glance at the TV. It was playing an old, gloomy looking movie on relative mute, barely even background noise. Closing his eyes, he let his thoughts drift away.

The sound of the speeder pulling into the driveway broke his train of thought and he sat up. Standing, he walked towards the door to open it for Mia in case she had an armful of groceries. To his surprise, just as he reached the door, she opened it, sliding up. Her eyes widened in surprise when she turned and saw him, then they softened and a smile slowly appeared. It was a genuine smile too, making her eyes light up, bright and happy unlike the gloomy clouds outside. He couldn't help it and he didn't know what possessed him to do it but, slowly, he cupped her face with his hands and leaned in to kiss her.

She returned it, slowly at first, as her hands slid up and her fingers got tangled up in the mess of waves he called hair. The kiss deepened as Anakin pinned her against the wall, his hands moving to rest against her waist. Reaching down, he lifted her up, keeping her pinned to the wall as they continued to kiss.

Then she pulled away, "No, wait, stop," She gasped.

He set her down in an instant, pulling away without hesitation. She looked up at him, completely surprised and bewildered.

"Sorry, I," She trailed off, "Just too soon," She mumbled before retreating towards the stairs and most likely her room, looking very small.

Turning around, she quietly mentioned that the groceries were in the trunk before going upstairs.

Anakin scolded himself for pushing her too far, too fast.

May 22nd, Three years post Galactic Empire

It was another gloomy day but they found they were enjoying it. Leia was having a playdate with Demi, leaving Anakin and Mia free on the calm day. They'd decided to get out of the house and Mia wanted to go to the meadow again. They laid on their backs on the soft grass, staring up at the grey sky that seemed to radiate light despite the distinct lack of sun. Their half-eaten lunch sat a few feet away, abandoned in favor of just relaxing. Conversation was light and involved a little bit of teasing.

The first drop landed on Anakin's forehead, followed by a few that landed on his cheek and on his chest. Sitting up, he saw Mia was crinkling her nose in annoyance. Even though it was just sprinkling he packed up the picnic basket. Standing, he turned and saw Mia standing off in the distance, waiting for him. The raindrops in her long, wavy hair shined in the strange abundance of light and her eyes looked almost like silver. Taking a chance, Anakin leaned in and kissed her, keeping kiss innocent but long as he combed his fingers through her hair.

After a long moment they pulled away and Mia smiled, "Did you just kiss me in the rain?" She asked him teasingly, "You're so corny."

He opened his mouth to reply but had nothing to say, "Yeah, I guess I did," He admitted, before pointing one little fact out, "And it's sprinkling actually, not rain."

Mia giggled, "Can we get out of said sprinkling?" She requested.

Smirking, he picked up the picnic basket—having dropped it in favor of kissing her—Anakin wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leading her down the path that eventually led to the speeder. By the time they made it there the hair on his head was wet and sticking to his forehead, making Mia laugh as she pushed it back. Once in the safety of the dry speeder they kissed again, savoring each little moment before Anakin turned it on and drove them home.

May 31st, Three years post Galactic Empire

Anakin woke up to the sound of a scream, piercing and pained. Getting out of bed right away, Anakin rushed out the room to check on Leia. He found her sound asleep, completely oblivious. Turning, he crossed the hall to Mia's room. The room was dark but he could clearly see her sitting up in bed, hear her breathing rapidly, panicked. Turning on the light, surprising Mia, he sat down next to her.

"_It's okay_," He signed, "_It was just a dream_."

She nodded shakily, still looking around the room like she was waiting for something.

"_What was it about?_" Anakin asked her, "_Was it_," He didn't finished that question, not wanting to say or sign or even acknowledge the bastard by name.

Mia shook her head again, "_No, it was different, I was a kid and I was in this dark room,_" She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, "_There was Sith lightning and it felt terrible and entirely real_."

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed at that because he was fairly sure Mia had never fought a Sith before, not head on and he was pretty sure she'd never felt the pain of Sith lightning before.

"_What did it feel like?_" He found himself asking even though he knew it was a bad idea to ask.

Mia closed her eyes, "_Like every cell in my body was alive and screaming,_" She signed before opening her eyes.

That was a pretty accurate description of what it felt like, from Anakin's firsthand experience at least. "_Have you ever felt that in real life?_" Anakin asked cautiously.

Mia shook her head, "_That's the worst part_," She signed slowly.

Nodding, Anakin stood up, "_I'm going to make you some tea,_" He decided, figuring it would be best to help her relax and forget.

Just as he was turning to leave Mia grabbed his hand and pulled him back, "No, just stay," She whispered, "Please just stay."

Nodding, Anakin sat back down and pulled the covers over him. Situated in the bed, he reached out with the Force and turned the light off before rolling over, facing Mia. She curled up next to him, wrapped her arm over his back to keep him close. Pulling the blankets up to their shoulders, Anakin gently wound his arm around her, pulling her closer as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

* * *

It finally happen and now it's called Anamia (I still can't get over the fact Night250 gave it a ship name, it's still making me smile) More tomorrow, though I'm running out of already written chapters. Tomorrow is actually my 19th birthday, I was born on St. Patrick's day and I'm hoping I'll get to do something fun with friends.


	11. They Will Surprise You

June 17th, Three years post Galactic Empire

The space port in the capital city of Verron was crowded, everyone rushing to some destination whether it be to a flight or somewhere on the planet. Anakin very clearly remembered then last time they'd been here, almost four years ago. Leia was tiny and Luke was gone and he was a mess. He looked down as Leia tugged on his hand, looking up at him with her big brown eyes.

"How long are you going to be gone?" She questioned, pouting.

He kneeled down so he was on her level, "Just a few days," He promised, "You'll hardly miss me, Mia says you're going to the park and Demi's going to come over and you'll make cookies. You won't know I'm gone."

His three—almost four—year old daughter didn't look satisfied, "But I want to come with you," She whined.

"You have to stay home Princess," He told her gently, "Tatooine is very dangerous and I want you and Mia to be safe."

She crossed her arms and pouted, a signature move when she wasn't getting her way. Anakin couldn't blame her, this was the first time they'd be separated for longer than a day. The idea of not seeing each other for four days was daunting for the both of them. He turned to Mia who was smiling reassuringly at him.

It had been seven years, it was time to see her again. In the seven years since she'd died he hadn't once visited his mother's grave. It was time, he needed the closure. Mia had been all for the idea, promising that she'd take care of Leia while he was gone. She'd even helped him find a pilot who'd fly him there.

Anakin looked at Mia, wanting very badly to kiss her. Turning, he looked for any sort of visual distraction to occupy Leia for a second so he could steal a kiss.

"Hey Princess, does that look like a balloon stand to you?" He asked her, pointing vaguely into the direction of the crowd.

"Where?" Leia asked excitedly, looking around.

Leaning forward, Anakin kissed Mia goodbye. Leia turned towards him just as they pulled away, looking disappointed at the lack of balloon stand.

"Mr. Moslov," The pilot, Savo, spoke up, "I'm ready to go when you are."

Turning to look over his shoulder, Anakin nodded before hugging Leia one more time. Then he insisted Leia look for the balloon stand just so he could steal one more kiss from Mia. Pulling away, Mia smiled coyly before turning Anakin around and nudging him in the direction of his pilot. He followed Savo down a long hallway before walking outside onto a runway. It was an old, small two man ship and Anakin had to hold back a snide remark about it ever being able to fly because he knew how pilots were about their ships. He got in as directed and strapped himself in. It was surreal for him because in the last twelve years or so he'd always been the pilot and never the passenger. Obi-wan had let him pilot the ship on missions since he was fourteen. He did it exclusively because Obi-wan didn't care for flying and Mia was never all that keen on learning to fly. If it hadn't been for the war he doubted she'd ever learn. As the ship took off and left the atmosphere he wondered how Mia and Leia would be while he was gone, getting started on the worrying a little early.

It was four hours later when they came out of hyperspace, Tatooine and its duel suns were visible and the sight of it made Anakin both anxious and uncomfortable. He'd always hated Tatooine, he couldn't remember a time when he hadn't hated it. As long as he could remember he'd wanted nothing more than to leave the planet and its non-existent anti-slave policy behind.

Then the unexpected happened. The ship was assaulted with cannon fire, sending it flying back. Both Anakin and Savo swore as they saw the Star Destroyer flying through space, aiming for a small fleet of renegade ships nearby. Savo was busy raising the shields but Anakin couldn't help but notice the cold and dark presence on board the ship.

_**Must be Darth Brutus, our precious Emperor's right hand man**_, Anakin decided, sarcasm leaking into his thoughts. _**Not really missing that position.**_

The ship shook as another blast of cannon fire hit them, followed by another. Screens were flashing red and the cockpit was filled with beeping alarms. Anakin watched as Savo piloted them through the atmosphere of Tatooine, the descent rocky to say the least. If Anakin wasn't so worried for his life he'd probably remember the crash landing of Antriselle—or That Shithole of a Planet as he liked to refer to it as.

Savo slowed the ship down considerably but not enough to make a safe landing. If they were lucky they'd survive this one.

_**Impact is a bitch**_, Anakin decided.

June 17th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan smiled as he watched Luke run to Beru, carting his new drawing pad and a relatively new box of crayons. He was off to work because, due to the general state of alcoholism on the planet, some bars never closed, particularly the one he worked at. But the money was at least honest so he didn't complain too much. Turning, he walked back to the speeder and started it up and started the drive to Mos Eisley.

As he was nearing the city something caught his eye. Slowing the speeder to a stop, he watched as a ship streaked through the sky, leaving a trail of puffy black smoke. He watched as the ship pulled its nose up only to skid to a crash. The occupants most likely hadn't survived. Obi-wan started up the speeder to go to work but his Jedi instincts were nagging at him, telling him to check it out and see if there were survivors.

If there were survivors they'd have to walk miles and miles through the desert to find some sort of civilization and they'd have to manage that while injured.

Jedi instincts won out and Obi-wan turned the speeder around, driving it towards the crash site. As he neared he saw what looked like a person, a man maybe, treading slowly through the desert before stumbling forward and falling. They didn't get up.

Pulling the speeder to a stop nearby, Obi-wan approached the man slowly. Kneeling down he turned him over.

The sight of Anakin, face bloodied and unconscious shocked him—to say the least. He checked for a pulse, afraid he wouldn't find one. It was thready and weak but it was very there. Obi-wan cast a glance at the other person in the crashed ship but one glance was enough to know that the pilot was dead. Obi-wan noticed the way Anakin's left shoulder was positioned, obviously dislocated. Keeping that in mind, Obi-wan carefully picked up his friend and carried him to the speeder.

They second they got home Obi-wan carried—with a lot of difficulty—Anakin inside, setting him down on his bed. The next ten minutes were spent in panic and surprisingly very little of it was spent wondering how Anakin would react. Instead Obi-wan was wondering how in the hell he was supposed to treat Anakin's injuries.

Did he pop Anakin's shoulder back in place now or was he supposed to wait until he was actually conscious. Obi-wan also had very little in the way of first aid, enough bandaids and disinfectant to take care of Luke's scrapped knees and small cuts but that might not be enough. Obi-wan wasn't even sure if Anakin's cuts needed stitches or not.

What he really needed right now was Mia.

On a whim Obi-wan looked through Anakin's pockets and found a wallet and a comm. It only had a handful of known frequencies but he tried the most used one, praying to the Force it was Mia. He waited for the beep that signaled he'd been connected.

"Hey, how was the trip?" Mia asked, "I just put Leia to bed, I'm exhausted."

Obi-wan opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. What was he supposed to say? Go straight into the part where Anakin was injured and he'd stolen his comm. or wait until he'd properly apologized for something.

"Anakin?" Mia called, "You alright."

"Uh," Obi-wan stalled, "It's not exactly Anakin." He winced, realizing how stupid that sounded.

There was a pause, "Obi-wan?!" She questioned, sounding shocked, "How in the hell did you get Anakin's comm.?"

"His ship crashed," Obi-wan started, "I found him in the desert, injured and unconscious and now I've taken him to my home but I don't know how to treat his injuries."

"Shit," Mia muttered under her breath, "Alright, what are his injuries?"

"Dislocated shoulder, several cuts on his face and possibly other places that may or may not need stitches," Obi-wan answered, "And all I have are bandaids and a little disinfectant."

He figured she was shaking her head, she usually did that when the situation was dismal and she was thinking about what to do, "Alright, boil water if you have any, check for any other cuts or injuries on the rest of his body, pay attention to bruising because there might be internal bleeding."

Nodding, despite the fact she couldn't see it, Obi-wan moved to the kitchen and got some water going before returning to Anakin.

"You're going to have to cut his shirt off because trying to take it off will just make the injuries worse," Mia reminded him.

After Obi-wan cut the shirt off, he found two minor cuts on Anakin's left side as well as a little bruising. "There are bruises but they don't look all that bad," He told her.

"Keep an eye on them, the bleeding might be slow," Mia told him. "When the water boils you're going to wait until it's cool enough to not scald your skin because you're going to need that to clean his cuts. In the meantime find your cleanest cloth and use those as bandages."

He heard her sigh over the comm. "Setting his shoulder won't be fun," She told him.

June 17th, Three years post Galactic Empire

His head hurt like someone had clubbed him and it throbbed in pace with his heart. Every part of him hurt, from his shoulder to his ribs to his muscles. Anakin honestly couldn't remember the last time he hurt this bad, probably not since the war—at least. As he came back to awareness he opened his eyes, not liking the way his vision blurred for a bit before coming into focus. Groaning, he tried to look around.

"Anakin, how do you feel?" A vaguely familiar voice asked, making Anakin realize he wasn't alone.

Turning, he looked at his old master, who was barely recognizable without his beard. "Obi-wan?" He mumbled uncertainly as he struggled to sit up, ignoring the pain.

He was pulled into a hug unexpectedly, making Anakin wonder if he was dreaming. His most recent memories of Obi-wan consisted of fighting on a lava planet and having his son taken away—and that wasn't counting the reoccurring nightmare of having his arm and legs caught off and burning. The memory of all that had him struggling to get away.

Anakin opened his mouth to say something, ask a question but all that came out was: "How?" His voice breaking at the word.

Obi-wan looked at him like he didn't know how to answer that. "I'm sorry," He murmured, looking down.

"You took Luke away from me," Anakin reminded him hollowly, trying to sound as furious as he felt about that but too tired and in too much pain to speak much louder than a whisper.

"I was wrong," Obi-wan told him, shaking his head, "I was wrong about everything that day. I shouldn't have pushed you away that night, I should have talked to you and helped you, not fight you."

Anakin looked down at his hands, shocked to hear those words.

"Pushing you away and taking Luke is my biggest regret," Obi-wan whispered, praying to the Force and whatever deity that may listen that Anakin believed him and could eventually forgive him.

Anakin looked up at him, his stormy blue eyes looking haunted, "How could you?" He asked.

Obi-wan closed his eyes, "Honestly, I can't even remember," He answered, "All I know what is, if I could go back, I would change everything that happened."

Anakin looked like he didn't know what to say, and he didn't.

"You don't know how many night's I've been up thinking about you, wondering what I could have done to help you, why you didn't feel like you could come to me," Obi-wan admitted before looking at Anakin sadly, "Didn't you know you could come to me with anything that was bothering you and I wouldn't have turned you away. I may not have been thrilled with your marriage but I would have come around and I'd have tried to help you in any way I can."

"I failed you as a friend and a brother," Obi-wan whispered, "And I hope that one day I can make that up to you."

Anakin looked up, tears in his eyes that threatened to fall. After a moment he blinked them away and took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"You didn't fail me Obi-wan," He mumbled finally, "I don't think anything we did could have changed what happened. Padmé would have died no matter what we did. The doctor said she had a pre-existing heart condition and that the stress of war had worsened it, her heart couldn't take the stress of labor, it was always going to happen."

"You and Mia did your best to keep me going but," Anakin's breath hitched, "I don't think it could have been helped."

They sat in silence for a while before Obi-wan checked the clock. His shift had been over for an hour and Beru would be expecting him to come and get Luke. Casting a glance at Anakin, he knew his friend would love nothing more than to see his son again.

"Come on, we need to go," Obi-wan spoke up, standing.

Anakin looked up at him in surprise, "Why? Where?"

"Places," Obi-wan answered vaguely, wanting it to be a surprise.

"Can I at least get a shirt," Anakin requested before pointing to the pile of rags on the side of the bed, "Seeing as you cut mine up."

Nodding, Obi-wan picked up the duffle bag he'd found next to Anakin at the crash site and set it down next to his former Padawan. Unzipping it with his good arm, Anakin pulled out one of his preferred black shirts, with long sleeves. He was going to burn wearing it and he supposed he should have packed more practically but he was never known for being all that practical when it came to packing. Putting it on was a struggle, to say the least, but he managed that as well as putting the sling back on.

He followed Obi-wan to the speeder and sat in the passenger's seat. The drive was quiet, neither of them knowing what to say. Then the slightly familiar farm came into view and Anakin knew he was about to see his stepbrother and stepfather, neither of which thrilled him but he kept quiet about it.

Finally the speeder pulled to a stop and Anakin got out, noticing the way Obi-wan didn't go in straight away. Suddenly a little boy came running out but then dropped dead in his tracks at the sight of him. Anakin didn't even have to think about it, it was Luke. After a moment the boy came running, wrapping his arms around Anakin's legs.

"I knew you'd come," Luke whispered.

Reaching down, Anakin picked Luke up, taking a moment to really look at him. His blond hair was a mess and there was a smudge of what looked like dirt on his cheek but his eyes were the deepest shade of blue. He had to fight to not cry, he was in shock. Then a smile broke out on his face, wide and brilliant. Luke wrapped his arms around Anakin's neck, holding on like his life depended on it.

"I can't believe I found you," Anakin choked out.

June 17th, Three years post Galactic Empire

After Luke had fallen asleep Anakin and Obi-wan had sat at the tiny dinner table that sat in front of the equally tiny kitchen, sipping coffee slowly. The silence hung over them like a dark cloud as they wondered what they should say to the other. Anakin cast a long glance at the open door to Luke's room where the boy was sleeping soundly.

"Does he sleep easily?" Anakin found himself asking before he could think about it.

Obi-wan shook his head, "No, he may fall asleep rather quickly but he wakes up several times a night most of the time," He answered.

Anakin nodded, "Leia doesn't sleep well, it's hard to get her to sleep but when she's out she stays out," He murmured.

The silence persisted like an unwelcomed guest before Obi-wan finally asked a question that had been weighing on him. "Do you ever have nightmares of Mustafar, but it ended differently?"

Anakin's attention snapped to him in an instant and that was answer enough for Obi-wan. "And it feels like you can't control what happens and the worst ends up happening?" He added.

His eyes widened before Anakin nodded slowly, not able to believe it. Were they having the same dream? Possibly at the same time? Looking down at his coffee cup, Anakin found he couldn't make eye contact with Obi-wan anymore.

"For the first year I almost never slept," Obi-wan mentioned slowly.

"For the first year I was a mess," Anakin muttered bitterly, "I'm still a mess."

Obi-wan looked at Anakin, desperately wanting to know what happened, but he supposed he hadn't exactly earned the privilege of Anakin's trust, not by a long shot. They were quiet again, the heavy topics weighing down in their chests but they couldn't seem to bring them up.

"I want to take Luke home," Anakin whispered before looking up and meeting Obi-wan eyes, "And if you're willing, I want you to come home with me too."

To say he was shocked to hear that was an understatement and it was all Obi-wan could do to nod, "I'd like that," He whispered finally, barely able to string the words together.

"I was supposed to go home two days from now but, truthfully, I want to get the hell off this planet," Anakin told him.

Obi-wan chuckled, "Yeah, I want to get the hell off this planet," He agreed.

"Why Tatooine?" Anakin inquired suddenly.

"Well, at the start I was on Kail but then someone sent a bounty hunter after me—Claus Greyback says 'hi' by the way, he's been looking for Mia," Obi-wan added, "Then I was on Pallaxides for a while."

Anakin's eyebrow furrowed, "Then that terrorist attack," He assumed, spitting out the word 'terrorist' like it had a bad taste in his mouth.

"There's a rebellion now and Claus was leading a mission but it went bad and when I found out about it I tried to get Luke off-world as quickly as possible. As soon as I'd gotten Luke safe on my ship I heard the sounds of a lightsaber battle. It was Claus and Darth Brutus, they were fighting and Claus had just lost, the Sith had him pinned. We ended up fighting and finally Darth Brutus was knocked unconscious. Claus told me to get off-world with Luke as quickly as possible—he was the one that sent the bounty hunter, that's how he knew about him. He said he'd take care of the Sith but, I guess it didn't really go as planned."

"Next thing I know I'm number two on the Empire's most wanted list," Obi-wan concluded.

Anakin nodded, "So, since you're a criminal, you decided the best place to blend in was with other criminals," He finished.

Obi-wan nodded, "That sums it up pretty nicely," He agreed, "We've been here for about a year and a half. I've been working at a bar."

He chuckled at that, "You working at a bar?" Anakin questioned, not quite believing his ears.

"Before that I was hustling to pay for rent and Luke's needs," Obi-wan answered with a shrug, "This is at least honest."

Anakin nodded, trying to fight a big grin at hearing that, finding it the funniest thing he'd heard all day. Mia was going to get a crack up at that. They knew Qui-gon had taught Obi-wan the great art of hustling but Obi-wan had always insisted he'd never use it and he flat out refused to ever teach it to him or Mia.

"Civilian life is a funny thing," Anakin mused, "I'm a mechanic now, Mia watches Leia during the day when I'm working."

"How is Mia?" Obi-wan queried curiously.

Anakin nodded, looking down at his hands, "Good, I think she's the only one who came out of this war unscathed," He murmured, "She's had a hard year though."

Obi-wan's eyebrows furrowed as he opened his mouth to ask but Anakin cut him off, "She'd kill me for telling you, it's just something you'll have to wait to hear, from her."

He nodded, not liking the sound of that, it worried him to no end. He wondered if Mia would tell him about it right away, she was usually very open about things but she was also very good at keeping secrets and he knew that all too well.

Not long after that they crashed, Obi-wan gave Anakin his bed and took the ratty old couch for himself.

June 19th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Luke clung to Anakin like his life depended on it, Anakin held Luke like he was afraid the three—almost four—year old would disappear if he looked away. The flight to Verron was nerve racking and he wondered how he'd explain to the twins that they had a twin. He hadn't told Leia because, by the time she could understand, he didn't think he'd ever find Luke. Obi-wan didn't tell Luke because it meant admitting that he'd taken the boy from a loving family. When the ship landed their hearts were racing. Taking Luke in his arms, he walked down the long hallway into the crowded transportation center. It was loud and voices echoed from all corners of the large room. Anakin looked for Mia, wondering if she was even here yet.

Then he felt the shock and complete surprise from the other side of the bond he shared with Mia. Turning he followed the direction of those feelings and saw her standing with a confused Leia. Her hand moved to her mouth like she couldn't believe it and then a great big grin broke out onto her face. Walking towards her, Anakin could help but beam back at her.

Kneeling down, he set Luke in front of Leia. "Luke, this is your sister, Leia," He introduced them, "Leia, this is your brother Luke."

They stared at each other for a long moment, not knowing what to make of that before Leia smiled at him. Luke returned the smile shyly, still uncertain.

"And this is Obi-wan," He told Leia, "He's a friend."

Obi-wan couldn't contain the joy of being called a friend by Anakin because he didn't really feel like he deserved it, but nothing meant more to him than Anakin's friendship.

Luke looked up at Mia curiously. She knelt down so she was on Luke's level and smiled gently at the shy boy, "Hello Luke, I'm Mia," She introduced herself, "I'm a friend of your dad's."

Nodding, he smiled back at her.

After a moment Anakin spoke up, "I just want to go home, I'm exhausted."

Mia smirked at him, "Crash landing really doesn't agree with you," She joked, "At least this time you can say it wasn't by your hand."

Anakin rolled his eyes, "You're so funny Mia," He teased her as he picked up Luke. He smiled down at Leia as she grabbed his other hand, feeling left out.

Mia led the way out the transportation center and to the speeder. The ride was slow as Mia and Obi-wan caught up with each other.

When Anakin pulled the speeder into the driveway Leia was out in an instant, taking Luke's hand and dragging him towards the door. When she found the door was looked she huffed, looking at her dad expectantly as he moved to unlock it. Taking Luke's hand she dragged him inside, giving him a tour of the house before taking him up the stairs. Anakin turned to see Mia leaning against the wall.

"I think they're going to get along well," She murmured before laughing.

"That's a relief," Obi-wan spoke up behind them.

Moving back, they let their former master in. "Tour of the house?" Mia suggested.

Turning, Obi-wan nodded. Pointing to the kitchen, Mia announced, "That's the kitchen, no, you're not allowed to use it without supervision by me, nobody is."

Anakin huffed and rolled his eyes at that. Ignoring him, Mia let Obi-wan to the living room and dining room before pointing at the empty fourth bedroom they never used, "Spare bedroom so I guess your bedroom now," She moved upstairs.

They found Luke and Leia in what was going to be their shared room. Leia was showing Luke her toys. The twins were completely oblivious to being watched.

"I'm really relieved they're getting along," Anakin murmured, "I had thought it would take more time, but," He trailed off, smiling.

Nodding, Mia turned and pointed out her bedroom and Anakin's, along with the bathroom. Fortunately for Obi-wan, he had his own bathroom downstairs. Turning around, Mia went back down stairs, mentioning something about dinner. Following her down the stairs, Obi-wan went to explore this fourth bedroom that was now suddenly his. Opening the door, he found it was rather plain, a nice sized bed—larger than he'd ever had really, he'd slept on single beds his whole life, as odd as that sounded—the blankets were blue and there was a dresser. Nodding, Obi-wan stepped in and closed the door behind him. Setting down the large, heavy bag, Obi-wan started unpacking. It was mostly clothes, but Obi-wan pulled out the notebook he'd kept for Luke, full of pictures and little notes marking at what age Luke had started walking or had said his first work. Tucked into random pages were a handful of old pictures of Anakin and Mia. He was lucky to even have the ones he had now, most of his pictures had been lost when the Jedi Temple went up in flames, these were just the ones he carried with him on missions when he was missing them.

June 20th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Anakin walked down the stairs with the twins. It turned out that Luke was a morning person, unlike his father and sister. That little aspect reminded him very distinctly of Padmé, who was always ready to start the day. When Anakin was younger you couldn't drag him out of bed, he was lucky if he made it to his coffee cup without falling asleep again. This trait had been changed dramatically by war, he always had to be ready to go. In hindsight, war changed everything. Now he had, grudgingly, become a morning person, always up earliest so he could meditate in peace—though he might have woken Obi-wan while he was trying to get outside into the backyard.

He found Mia standing at the counter, chopping up fruit. "_Morning_," He signed.

"_Morning_," She returned before raising an eyebrow at him, "_Is there any particular reason why the fridge looks like a bear rifled through it?_"

Anakin put on an innocent face, "_I don't know, maybe you should ask Obi-wan_," He suggested.

She rolled her eyes, "_Are we seriously back to the 'blame Obi-wan' game,_" She signed, not able to help the smirk that crossed her features.

Anakin grinned mischievously, "_Seems like it_," He replied before looking down at Luke as he tugged on Anakin's shirt, "What's going on?" The boy questioned quietly, looking shy.

Anakin could have face-palmed himself for being so stupid, why had he assumed Luke would just know sign language. Obi-wan may know it himself but he never had reason to use it or teach it to Luke. Reaching down, Anakin lifted Luke so he was seated on the counter chair next to him.

"We're talking," He explained, watching as Luke looked ever more confused, "Instead of using our voices to make words we're just using hand signs for words."

"Like the people on Tatooine," Luke guessed, "But Ben said those signs were bad."

Mia bit back a smile at his innocence.

"No, those signs are very bad but there are good signs too," Anakin explained before raising his hands to sign slowly along as he spoke, "_It's easier to understand if we talk while signing. If you watch long enough you'll start to figure it out. Leia did_."

"_We can teach you basics_," Mia added.

Luke looked between the two of them, not quiet getting it, "Why can't you just talk normally?" He questioned like it was obvious.

Mia snorted with amusement, "I believe you asked the same question when Obi-wan and I first explained it to you," She reminded Anakin as she passed him to stand in front of Luke, "I can't hear, I was born deaf which means my ears don't work. So we sign because it's easier."

The poor boy looked even more lost, "But you talk," He reminded her.

She smiled wryly, finding she really enjoyed Luke's curiosity. Questions like this from adults usually annoyed Mia but she didn't mind when children asked because it was just curiosity and trying to learn. With adults it was ignorance, nosiness and novelty.

"Yeah," She agreed, "But you know how on Tatooine a lot of people speak Huttese?" When Luke nodded, she continued, "There's more than one way to communicate, lots of ways actually. Signing is just one of them."

Obi-wan strolled into the room, completely unaware of the situation. He stopped when he noticed everyone staring at him.

"What?" He questioned slowly, worried.

Mia smirked at him and raised an eyebrow, "So rumor has it you never taught Luke sign language," She replied.

"Ben knows sign language?" Luke asked, not really believing it.

Anakin turned to his son, "He's actually the person who taught Mia to sign, and me for that matter," He answered before turning back to his former master, trying not to grin at the way Obi-wan looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"To be fair, Luke hasn't really needed to learn sign language until now," Obi-wan reminded them, "And I've also gotten rusty since the war started."

Mia rolled her eyes and Anakin just shook his head in dismay. It was just one of the many things Luke would have to get used to living with them.

As they ate Anakin, Mia and Leia signed while talking to help teach Luke and get Obi-wan back into the swing of things. It probably wouldn't be too hard for Luke to learn, it was easier for children to learn languages in the first five years of life than at any other time in their lives. Obi-wan was more than a little rusty, his signs sloppy and sometimes confused with others. Luke watched with interest as they signed, captivated.

June 26th, Three years post Galactic Empire

It was a sunny day but it wasn't too hot, there was a nice breeze. After first coming here, Luke marveled at how cool it was on this planet despite it actually being a fairly warm day for the planet. Anakin made sure Luke got an extra blanket because he remembered how cold he was the first few months on Coruscant. Actually, now that Anakin thought about it, he always slept with an extra blanket or two. Obi-wan always found it a bit odd how blankets tended to disappear and then end up on his bed but after a few years he got used to it. Mia had actually adopted the practice not long after becoming Obi-wan's Padawan.

Anakin watched as the twins chased each other around at the park. It still didn't fail to amaze him how quickly they'd become each other's best friends. Turning to Mia, Anakin observed that her eyes were glued on the twins, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Noticing his gaze, Mia turned to him, a smile breaking out. Leaning in, he kissed her softly, taking advantage of the moment.

They'd been taking things slowly. Anakin remembered a time in his life where slowly would have been agonizing but things were different. They were older and they'd been through a lot lately and slow was exactly what they needed. They hadn't even told the twins or Obi-wan.

Later in the day clouds had settled in. Anakin and Mia had taken the twins to get a treat and while they were in store, getting ice cream, it started raining. Mia sighed and Anakin wished he'd brought an umbrella in and Leia just smiled—she loved the rain. Luke was completely baffled by it, not clearly remembering rain or what it was like. Opening the door, he walked out and found he was quite surprised by how cold and wet it was. He turned to them, mouth open in shock and hands held up to catch the raindrops, not quite believing it.

"Was that what I was like when I first saw rain?" He asked Mia.

She just nodded slowly, "Oh yeah," Mia answered, "And if I recall correctly you ran out and danced in it and then I joined you in said rain dance and Obi-wan just shook his head at us."

"Right," He murmured slowly as the memories returned, "I was sick for four days after."

Shaking her head, she walked outside with Luke and took his hand as she directed him towards the speeder, expecting Anakin and Leia to follow.

Mia looked down as he tugged on her hand, "Is this normal?" Luke asked her.

"Oh yeah, it happens all the time," She answered, smiling.

"Good," He decided as he turned to look ahead, "I like rain."

She couldn't contain the smile that pulled at her lips, "Me too," She agreed, "Just wait till you see snow."

Luke looked up at her, confused, "What's snow?"

Looking down at him in surprise, she just grinned, "Oh it's wonderful, you'll love it," She assured to him, "One day I'll take you up north where there's snow, let you and Leia play in it."

June 27th, Three years post Galactic Empire

It was mid-afternoon, Anakin was working and the twins were upstairs playing in their room. Mia sat on the couch watching some crappy show that had complicated plotlines that never quite made sense and left questions that never really got answered. It wasn't really her thing but she was out of things to do. Leia didn't seem to demand her time as much anymore now that she had Luke. Obi-wan was also helping with the cleaning while he looked for a job. Mia hated to admit it but she was starting to think that maybe four years of just taking care of Leia, cooking and cleaning had made her boring. What did she do for herself anymore? She read but that was about it. Before this there was the war and that wasn't exactly something she'd call a hobby. Before the war was Jedi training and sparring with Anakin and playing pranks on others.

Her thoughts on the matter were abruptly cut short when Obi-wan sat down next to her, close enough that his arm brushed against hers. Her heart skipped a beat and her instincts said to move away. Shifting several inches away, Mia put enough space between them so that she didn't feel uncomfortable again. Then she saw Obi-wan turn to look at her, confusion and hurt in his eyes. It made the guilt claw at her heart but she couldn't help it. She'd thought she was fine. She didn't mind being touched by Anakin anymore, in fact she enjoyed it now. This was Obi-wan and he was in no way a threat but she couldn't help it. The only thing that had gone through her mind was to move away. That thought scared her. Would she ever be able to be touched by a guy? Did the whole thing with Revan or Grev or whoever he was leave her damaged? She didn't feel damaged but, just now…

When Anakin got home he found Obi-wan sitting on the couch and Luke and Leia drawing on the dining room table. Smiling he walked over to Luke and Leia and hugged them both, careful not to get them dirty with his uniform. Heading up the stairs, he went and got changed. He found Mia in her room, sitting on the window seat and staring out at the cloudy day. Crossing the room, Anakin pushed some of the hair away from her face and kissed her temple.

"Hey," She murmured, her voice monotone.

"Hey," Anakin greeted softly as he shifted her so he could sit down, Mia sitting on his lap, "What's wrong?"

She curled up into him, closing her eyes as he ran his fingers through her hair, finding the sensation very soothing. "It feels like it should be nothing," She mumbled vaguely, "But it wasn't and it's starting to scare me. I was sitting on the couch, watching TV, and Obi-wan sat down next to me."

"You panicked and moved away," Anakin guessed, wrapping his other arm around her.

"I don't even know why I did," She told him, her voice breaking so slightly anyone other than Anakin would have missed it, "I just freaked. Did the whole thing just leave me," She trailed off, taking in a deep breath, "Break me or something?"

Anakin sighed because he'd seen this coming. He didn't know why he had but he had.

"It didn't break you," He assured her softly, "It did screw with your ability to trust people."

She cut him off, "But I know I can trust Obi-wan," Mia cried.

"Mia, I'm going to let you in on a little secret," He told her softly, "Your brain and heart are going to disagree, and they're going to do that a lot."

Sighing, he pulled her in closer, "After I tried coming back from the dark-side, after Obi-wan, I didn't feel like I could trust anyone. I knew I could trust you but I was still afraid to. It takes time but eventually you learn to trust again."

Nodding, Mia sighed, not having anything else left to say.

"You could try talking to Obi-wan about what happened," He suggested. When she tensed at his words he added, "You don't have to, you don't have to do anything. It's just a suggestion. But talking to him about what happened might help."

Sighing, she nodded, relaxing a bit.

July 1st, Three years post Galactic Empire

_**He looked around the field, wondering where he was. It was vaguely familiar, he felt like he'd been there before. Wondering around aimlessly, he found himself on the top of a hill. Down below were two small children, a boy and a girl, playing. They couldn't be much older than two, both tiny and innocent. After a moment he remembered where he was. It had been a long time since he'd had this dream. Sitting down, he just watched as they chased each other around. Suddenly the little girl tripped, falling on her face.**_

"_**Mia!" The little boy shouted.**_

_**Getting up, he walked down the hill to see if she was hurt. Giggling, though her laugh was a little garbled, she sat up, completely unharmed.**_

_**He sighed, enjoying this little memory of his. He couldn't remember why he'd stopped having these dreams. Maybe because he'd been told at an early age that his sister was dead. For a while he hadn't believed it but, after a while, he just gave up.**_

_**His memories of her were a bit blurry, he was only two when he was taken. He remembered that she was happy and carefree and that she didn't talk. He couldn't remember why she didn't talk, just that she didn't.**_

_**Turning, the little girl—Mia, he reminded himself—started chasing the younger version of himself, completely oblivious to his presence.**_

_**Why couldn't she talk? He couldn't remember but he felt it was really important. Then it came to him with a strange amount of clarity. She was deaf, that's why she didn't talk.**_

Darth Brutus sat up suddenly, finding himself in his bed in his quarters of the ship. Gasping for breath, he scrambled out of the bed, kicking sheets as he got up. Moving towards the desk where he kept the datapad holding all the Jedi files, searching for the right one. Sitting down on the chair, he searched for the right file. Opening Mia Rosslyn's file he found himself starring at the picture for a long moment. The black hair and the grey eyes, just like him. How did he not realize it when he first saw her file? How could he not notice the glaring about of evidence? Why did he ever believe she was dead? Here she was, completely alive and a Jedi.


	12. With Profound Love

I know it's a day or two late but that's mostly because I've been at war with myself over this chapter, it wasn't all that easy to write. It actually feels more like filler if you ask me. There's a major plot change about to happen but I needed to write this.

* * *

July 5th, Three years post Galactic Empire

It was late in the night and everyone was sound asleep but Anakin found he couldn't join them. He couldn't tell what it was, maybe the ever-present tapping on the roof from the rain or the fact that his multiple blankets still left him a little cold. Groaning, he sat up and got out of bed, tiptoeing down the stairs. In the kitchen he found Mia, leaning against the counter as she watched the stove, waiting for the kettle to go off.

"Can't sleep either?" She guessed as he walked in.

Anakin sighed, "Yeah."

"Want some tea?" Mia inquired, turning to look at him, her grey eyes scanning over every feature of him before she looked away, trying not to smile.

Anakin moved to stand in front of her, purposely standing so that the usual bubble of personal space was ever-so-slightly invaded. He thoroughly enjoyed the way her breath hitched when he stood over her and his deep blue eyes sought hers. They stood there for a moment before Anakin suddenly leaned in and stole a kiss, long and slow and innocent. Pulling away, he smirked like he'd won a victory. Smiling coyly, Mia stood up on her toes and kissed him back, longer and not quite so innocent as she wound her fingers through his hair and pulled him down so he was closer. He traced his tongue along her bottom lip, smiling as she gave him entrance and deepened the kiss. His hands slipped under the hem of her shirt, sliding up the surface of her stomach and resting themselves on the smallest part of her waist, his thumbs tracing absent-mindedly over her bottom ribs. In one swift movement, Mia bent her knees for a moment before jump, letting Anakin lift her onto the countertop where they were more level with each other. Breaking away for a moment, he trailed kisses along her neck, pressing some to her pulse point where he knew her soft spot was. She moaned, low and soft and the way her throat vibrated as he kissed her made him smile. They pulled away for a moment and looked in each other's eyes just long enough to know the other was ready for what happened next.

Jumping down from the counter, Mia turned the stove off just as the kettle started to whistle and gently pushed Anakin backwards, out the kitchen and into the dining room, kissing in soft pecks with each step. Taking her hand, Anakin pulled her closer, keeping an arm wrapped around her as they clumsily went up the stairs, not separating until they ended up in Mia's room.

He gently pushed her in the bed before climbing on top. Her nails scraped softly against the skin on his back as she pulled his shirt off before pulling hers off as well. The passionate kissing resumed and for a moment they couldn't believe this was actually happening.

July 6th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Anakin woke up slowly, vaguely aware he wasn't in his bed and that he wasn't alone in this bed. Opening his eyes slowly, he looked down at the mess of black hair, pushing it away to see Mia's peaceful, sleeping face. He was on his back and she was on her stomach, partially on top of him, her head resting on his shoulder. Her arms were fanned out like they were wings and she was trying to fly. Pulling the blankets up a little further to keep them warm, he took a minute to appreciate the feeling of not being alone in a bed.

Mia seemed to stir not long after he'd woken and opened her eyes slowly before looking up at him, surprised to see him in her bed. Then a breath taking grin split her face as she remembered the previous night's events.

"_What time is it?_" She asked him, her hands moving sluggishly, before looking over her shoulder to find that it was still dark out.

"_About an hour before sunrise_," Anakin answered before sighing, "_I don't want to get up_."

Mia sighed in response before stretching like a cat before raising her hands again, "_Who says you have to get up right this second?_" She reminded him challengingly, raising an eyebrow.

He opened his mouth to respond before stopping and smirking mischievously at her, "_Fair point_," Anakin agreed as he pulled her in, capturing her mouth in his.

Sometime later they found themselves stuck with the task of actually getting dressed and moving on with the day. Mia tossed Anakin a smirk and a wink as she walked into the bathroom to shower. Shaking his head and completely unable to stop grinning, he walked into his room and got dressed into some fresh clothes before going downstairs and tip-toeing through Obi-wan's room to meditate.

When Obi-wan had found out about him meditating in the early morning—approximately four or five days after arriving and after four or five times of not noticing Anakin slipping in and out of his room—he was shocked, to say the least.

He'd been sitting at the counter talking with Mia when Anakin had walked in, just after meditating. Mia had made a passing comment about it, taking it for granted as something he'd been doing for years. Obi-wan choked on his coffee, coughing and sputtering and looking at Anakin with disbelief clear on his face.

Now he was getting used to it and didn't even notice when Anakin walked in.

July 8th, Three years post Galactic Empire

It was a really hot day so after taking a shower, Mia didn't bother completely drying her hair and let it hang damply on her back. Walking downstairs after her early-afternoon shower, she found Obi-wan sitting on the floor of the living room with Luke and Leia, playing. Smiling, Mia walked towards the kitchen and started preparing lunch. It was nice having Luke and Obi-wan back, it made their family feel whole again.

She looked over her shoulder as Obi-wan walked in for something to drink. Closing her eyes, Mia willed herself to just tell Obi-wan. But it wasn't something you just told, not if you weren't ready, not if it wasn't a good time, not if you didn't think you could bring yourself to open your mouth. So she kept her mouth shut and let Obi-wan walk away without saying a word. Maybe later but not now.

Later she was sitting in Luke and Leia's room, drawing with them. Luke was drawing some sort of animal and Leia was drawing a princess castle. Mia took the blue crayon and colored in some flowers, enjoying the quiet environment. When the twins were done they presented their pictures to Mia.

"These are great," She told them, smiling, "Do you want to put them on the fridge or on your wall?"

"Wall," Luke decided.

Nodding, Mia got up and went downstairs to fetch the tape. As she was there she found Obi-wan having a small snack. The second he saw her Obi-wan raised up his arms to show he meant no harm and smiled innocently.

"I didn't cook anything," He promised, showing her the piece of fruit he'd chosen.

Narrowing her eyes, she nodded slowly, "You're treading on thin ice, Kenobi," Mia stated before making the 'I'm watching you motion' and turning towards the drawer where they kept things like tape and scissors.

As Mia was undoing the child-proofing safety, someone put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched and pushed his hand off before realizing it was Obi-wan. Turning, she looked down, her still damp hair curtaining her face from view.

"Uh, sorry," She mumbled before taking the tape and walking away, leaving Obi-wan standing in the kitchen with a confused look on his face.

Naturally his mind went to the worse place. He'd seem women who flinched or tensed up when touched, usually when a male touched them. They always suffered some kind of trauma, rape or physical abuse. Obi-wan's stomach turned and knotted itself as his mind swam through all the possibilities and searching his memory for any similar incidents since he'd moved here. There was the time he sat down next to her on the couch and she quickly moved away, and anytime he accidentally brushed up against her she tensed. But Anakin touched her all the time, hugs and grabbing her hand as he led her up the stairs to see something Luke or Leia was doing. She was always fine.

Mia came down the stairs slowly, finding him sitting at the dining room table with a sad but thoughtful look. She had to tell him, he deserved to know. Opening up was part of the healing process, she and Anakin had spouted that crap to each other. Finally Obi-wan looked up at her with a haunted look in his eyes.

"What happened?" He asked.

Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, she sat down across from him.

"It was earlier this year," Mia mumbled, "Not long after the twin's birthday."

"I was dating this guy, we were in a relationship and I thought it was fine, he didn't know any signs of being violent. After a while he started asking to meet Anakin and Leia but I refused, trying to protect them," Mia sighed, looking down at her hands as she talked as though they were the most interesting thing in the world. "Then one morning I woke up in his house but I didn't feel myself."

Her voice broke and she closed her eyes, "_I couldn't feel the Force and I couldn't hear_," She signed, not wanting to talk, not verbally at least, "_I stumbled and it didn't take long to realize I was drugged. I was trying to get up and I tried to tell him something was wrong but then he hit me_."

Tears leaked through her eyes, "_I tried to get away but he wouldn't let me. Finally he gave me another dose of that awful drug. I woke up and I was changed to some sort of pillar with a Force collar on and a blind fold_."

Mia didn't hear the sound that erupted through her throat, a sob, but she certainly felt it. Suddenly Obi-wan touched her hand, gently so as not to startle her, to get her attention.

"_You don't have to tell me if you don't want to_," He assured her.

"_But you need to know_," She signed back, "_He was a Jedi, I didn't recognize him because he changed his hair. He was after Anakin and they fought and I'm pretty sure the Jedi died. But Anakin saved me and he took me home_."

Mia sighed, feeling exhausted, "_Then there was the pregnancy_."

Obi-wan stilled, his eyes going wide.

"_I was pregnant, I was scared to death about it. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I wanted an abortion or if I wanted to keep it. I didn't tell Anakin, he didn't find out until…_" Mia trailed off, "I miscarried, around my third month, I miscarried."

"I was so freaking relieved, which made me feel like an awful person," Mia sighed, "I thought I was done, it was finally over. But, as you can guess, sometimes I freak when someone touches me."

She looked away, smiling when she thought of Anakin, "Anakin finally got through to me, getting me to open up, being gentle and not pushing me too far."

Nodding slowly, Obi-wan took it all in, not knowing what to think. Scrubbing his face with his hand, he looked in her eyes, sky blue meeting grey. "Would you be more comfortable if I just didn't touch you?" He asked her.

Mia thought about it for a moment, "No, that's not necessary. Just, don't catch me off guard, like from behind or anything," She shrugged, "At first Anakin was always slow, checking to see if it was okay before actually pulling me in a hug or taking my hand or anything. After a while I just got used to it, to him."

He nodded again, taking it all in. Sighing, Obi-wan attempted to calm the anger swirling in his stomach. If Anakin hadn't already killed him—there wasn't any doubt, he'd always been very protective of her—he'd kill the Jedi himself. It also didn't escape his notice that she didn't refer to him by name.

It was much later in the evening, Mia was putting Luke and Leia to bed when Obi-wan walked in to find Anakin doing the dishes. His former Padawan looked over his shoulder as he walked in.

"Thank you," Obi-wan spoke up as he stood next to Anakin, "She told me about what happened, earlier this year, thank you for taking care of her."

Nodding, Anakin looked down at the dish in his hand, not knowing what to say. It seemed strange, to be thanked for something he'd do without having to be asked, something that came as second nature to him.

July 13th, Three years post Galactic Empire

Luke looked up as Mia brought in some apple slices and some juice, offering the snack to both him and Leia. When he'd first moved here and started living with them, his dad and his sister and Ben, he couldn't really place Mia. She was a stranger but so were his dad and Leia. Now he'd been here almost a month and he was finding he really liked Mia. She was nice and fun to play with and always made good food—Obi-wan wasn't very good at making food. He didn't really have any name or title to give her but he knew he liked her.

July 21st, Three years post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan couldn't sleep so he decided to get a before-bed cup of tea. Rubbing his eyes wearily, he reached to open the door. Then he heard a moan, low and soft. It made him stop in his tracks, completely confused. Cracking the door open, he look took a peak. He found Anakin and Mia on the couch, making out and completely oblivious. He was shocked to say the least.

Shutting the door softly so as not to alert Anakin and Mia to the fact he'd seen them, he stepped back into his room and sat on his bed.

How had he missed it? In hindsight there had been a lot of evidence. They always smiled when the other walked into the room, they always purposely sat close to the other, the casual touching. How had he missed it?

It was stupid of him to think they'd never get together. Maybe he'd thought that because they'd broken up a long time ago. Maybe he'd thought that because Padmé had died but that was almost four years ago and it was perfectly normal to move on. Still, he was shocked.

Why hadn't they told him? Probably because he'd been the one to make them break up. But there wasn't a Jedi Order now and they weren't his Padawans anymore. They were adults, not teenagers and he couldn't force them to do anything. Actually, if he was being completely honest, he was actually happy for them. They deserved some happiness after all the tragedy they'd seen.

They might not have told him because it was still a new thing and the twins were really young and might not be ready for something like this. Still, Obi-wan hoped they'd come to him about this sooner or later because he was actually really happy for them.

August 2nd, Four years post Galactic Empire

For Luke and Leia's birthday they went to the park with plans to get lunch at a small restaurant. Anakin and Mia told Obi-wan about the toy-store from the year before and how they were _never_ doing that again. Obi-wan actually laughed, until they got to the part where Anakin almost had a panic attack when he saw two boys playing with lightsabers. Fortunately the day was sunny but not hot, perfect park weather. Anakin and Mia sat on a bench watching as Luke and Leia pulled Obi-wan towards the swings.

"_You think maybe we should tell Obi-wan?_" Mia inquired, signing instead of speaking.

Anakin shrugged, "_I don't know_," He answered, "_I mean, it's not like he can tell us what to do. He may disapprove but he'll probably come around_."

Nodding, Mia turned to watch as Obi-wan pushed Luke and Leia higher and higher. Leia's giggles reached their ears from across the playground. Anakin slowly reached towards her hand, grasping it in his. Flipping her hand so her palms faced up, he slowly traced the small creases with his thumb, noting how soft they were and how the calluses had slowly disappeared. Four years of a civilian life had changed them and Anakin wasn't sure if he missed it or not. He definitely missed it before the war but once it had started, he wasn't sure. The clarity of hindsight gave him the chance to see how little events during the war had slowly pushed him towards the dark side.

"What are you thinking about?" Mia inquired, her voice gentle and quiet.

He looked up at her, blue eyes sad and a little distant before he blinked and cleared those thoughts out of his head. "The war," He answered softly, "How it changed us."

Mia nodded slowly, "Going from Padawans to Knights in the middle of a war can do that to you," She agreed, "Maybe we weren't ready for it."

"What makes you say that?" Anakin asked her.

She glanced up, looking thoughtful before looking at their hands before taking his and flipping them up, looking at the calluses that remained from the war, hardened by working as a mechanic, "Think about it, we weren't even twenty when we were knighted. Obi-wan was twenty-five, others were in their mid-twenties, some even older than that."

"Maybe we were just better trained?" Anakin suggested but it came out as more of a question.

Mia smiled faintly, "We had an excellent master," She agreed at a whisper, so low Anakin almost didn't hear her. Looking up, Mia watched as Obi-wan stood off in the distance, peering at them with a curious look before Leia stole his attention and asked him to help her reach the monkey-bars.

"But I don't think we were ready," She whispered, "There were so many missions that could have killed us."

"That's what war's like," Anakin reminded her.

Grey eyes chanced a glance up at him, reminding him that she had a very valid point, maybe they hadn't been ready but Anakin wasn't sure that was the case. "War changes you though," She whispered, "And not always for the better."

"Are you talking about my nightmares?" He asked, afraid that might be the reason she was saying this. Maybe she was tired of trying to mend something so broken, maybe she was giving up.

Mia looked up at him seriously, staring into his eyes like she could read every thought passing through his head, "No, I'm talking about mine."

Anakin sat there, confused and shocked. How was it he never noticed? Every now and again he'd venture out of his room in the middle of the night and he'd find her sitting in the living room, watching an old movie or reading or with a cup of tea in hand. She always claimed insomnia. Was it the nightmares?

"You never told me you had nightmares," He spoke up suddenly, eyebrows furrowing with confusion, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Mia sighed and looked down, not really having an answer. How was it she kept secrets so easily?

"You've had a lot going on the last four years," She whispered, "I kept it to myself. They're not all that bad."

"Mia, all nightmares are bad," He insisted, "You should have come to me."

She opened her mouth to speak but was saved from responding when Leia came bounding their way. Pulling her hands away from his, she picked Leia up and held her in her lap.

"Hey, are you hungry?" Mia asked the four year old.

Nodding excitedly, Leia smiled, "Can we get lunch now?"

"Of course, go get your brother and Ben," She told Leia before setting her down, watching as she ran off.

Anakin was watching her with his piercing gaze and she purposely didn't turn to look him in the eyes. How did someone justify keeping a secret like that for four years? She supposed the answer to it was that it wasn't justifiable. She still did it and she'd have to find a way to make that up to Anakin, keeping him in the dark. It wasn't the first time she kept him in the dark about something but she certainly hoped it would be the last.

Leia came back with Luke and Obi-wan in tow and they went to get lunch. Leia and Luke were well behaved enough, until they were waiting for their food to come and Luke got restless. Anakin had to take him out and let him have a good run to burn off some of that pent up, four year old, steam. When they came back the food had just arrived and the twins were alright, neither one of them fussy.

When they got home the twins were presented their presents. Luke got more art supplies and Leia got a doll house. Leia was at this stage where she loved both toys meant for boys and toys meant for girls. Anakin supposed that was because Mia had taught her to never play into the set role society had given her as a girl. They taught her how to be independent and smart and to think for herself. In those respects, Leia reminded Anakin a lot of Padmé but she also reminded him of Mia.

They had two different birthday cakes like they had the last three years before. Anakin showed Luke and Obi-wan the pictures of the cakes Mia had made for Luke before. When he saw the pictures, Luke look over at Mia as she was cutting up Leia's birthday cake. There was this strange feeling in his chest he couldn't quite name but he knew he really liked Mia, a lot more now.

The sugar high of the cakes lasted for a while and Luke and Leia were running around the house, playing. Anakin wished they had a bigger backyard for them to really play in but for now this would have to do.

When the twins finally crashed Obi-wan put them to bed, reading them both a story. It left Anakin and Mia alone in the kitchen, cleaning up as silence hung over them.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Anakin spoke up finally, setting the dish aside.

Mia looked up from her spot on the counter, a cup of tea in hand. They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment before Mia finally hung her head, looking ashamed.

"I know I shouldn't have," She admitted, she opened her mouth to explain but couldn't find her voice.

"How long?" Anakin inquired.

She looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion, "How long what?"

"How long have you had the nightmares?" He asked her, moving so he was standing in front of her.

That only seemed to make her more confused, "Anakin, I've had nightmares for a years, since I was a little kid," She told him plainly.

Anakin stood there in silence, unable to form words.

"I don't remember a time when I didn't have a nightmare," Mia mumbled, looking down at her cup of tea as her thumb traced over the design on the mug. "Not all the time, not every night but I get them here and there. Sometimes it was being confined and not being able to get out and sometimes it was fighting and getting my ass kicked by masked men. Sometimes it was trying to run but I was in a maze and every hallway looked the same and I couldn't find an escape. Then as I got older those nightmares weren't so strong, they rarely happened but then nightmares of missions gone wrong where you or Obi-wan could have been killed started appearing and then the war and then after the war," She trailed off.

"It's not all the time," She reminded him, "More like ten percent of the time."

Anakin nodded slowly, shocked, "Did you ever tell anyone?"

Mia made a vague so-so motion with her right hand before sighing and looking up at him, "Well I've told people that I sometimes have nightmares. Most people have nightmares here and there though so it doesn't really seem all that odd to most people."

"When I was about seven I told Obi-wan about my nightmares. He didn't know what to make of it so he talked to Qui-gon which eventually led to therapy sessions with some old Jedi woman who talked too loudly and couldn't be bothered to learn more than a few signs," Mia shrugged, sighing, "So I lied and told everyone they were going away and that I didn't need therapy."

Anakin nodded slowly before stepping closer, taking her cup and setting it down on the counter before he rested his hands on her hips, looking her in the eyes seriously.

"No more of that," He whispered, blue meeting grey, "No more hiding when something is wrong, for either of us, okay?"

"Okay," Mia whispered back, smiling faintly before she dipped her head down, resting it on his shoulder.

"Bedtime?" He guessed.

When she nodded slowly, he moved to the side and hooked his right arm under her legs before wrapping his arm around her and lifting her up. Normally, if people were around or she was feeling particularly difficult, she'd tell him immediately to put her down. Tonight she just wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her to her room where they fall asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

I'm working on chapter 13 today but I'm not sure how I want to write it, how I'm going to direct the plot to where I want it (if that makes any sense) Review, it always makes me smile and helps me focus a bit more.


	13. That Makes You Feel a Little More Whole

August 3rd, Four years post Galactic Empire

Darth Brutus laid back on the mattress, running his hands through his hair with frustration. Piles of research laid in front of him and none of it useful. He'd tried looking in all the planet databases for anyone by the name of Mia. Only about a few thousand million and, since most of them didn't come with pictures, it was impossible to know which name led to her. For all he knew she'd gone by a different name. Which led to the search for anyone by the name of Mialera, which wasn't very common, only a few hundred in the entire universe. Most of them were on the planet she—they—were born on. Groaning with frustration, Darth Brutus got up and walked out of his quarters, intending to go to a training room. They were mostly meant for storm-troopers—well, clones when this ship was built—to train in.

Stepping in, he locked every entrance with the Force, wanting to be alone. Walking towards the center of the room, he took his lightsaber, usually clipped to his side by the belt of his armor. Igniting it, he fell into stance and started performing basic katas, working his way up to the more complicated forms. It took his attention away from his sister and her frustrating ability to blend in. It made him focus on here and now, which was always important.

He wondered who their mother was. She died when they were young but he didn't have any clear memories of her, just a flash of what she looked like when she smiled. She was blond with blue eyes. That also made him wonder who their father was because he and Mia looked nothing like her. It could be anyone.

His feet got tangled with each other, knocking Darth Brutus off balance. Before he hit the ground he extinguished his lightsaber, letting himself hit the ground hard. His shoulder protested but the young Sith couldn't bring himself to care all that much. Standing up slowly, Darth Brutus ignited his lightsaber again and continued where he left off, finishing the kata.

August 3rd, Four years post Galactic Empire

The fourth anniversary of the Empire had come and gone for the Rebellion. Claus had come in the next morning with a hangover, like everyone else. He'd heard all around the base that the leaders of the Rebel Alliance were trying to recruit more people. Of course, they couldn't exactly advertise a recruit like the Empire could for their academy. Claus wasn't entirely sure how they were doing their recruiting, just that every now and again they got a new batch of trainees, most of which ended up in the infirmary within the first month or two because of training. Some of them were young and still believed in the Jedi and the Republic and some were older and had lost something, someone to the Empire. There were a surprising amount of families on this particular base and he wasn't entirely sure why that was because he highly doubted a rebellion was a great place to raise children. Of course, who was he to say, he'd never gotten the chance to raise his.

Claus looked up as another young man, he was maybe old enough to drink on most planets—on this base you had to be twenty to drink—walked in. There were a few bad bruises on his face and he was limping.

"They really train you hard," Claus stated with a slight tone of annoyance slipping through. Standing up, he motioned for the kid to lay down on the cot in the exam room.

"You don't sound too thrilled about that," He chuckled, his voice surprisingly deep for his young age.

Claus chuckled as he walked over with a clipboard in hand, "Most of the recruits end up in here once or twice before they've finished training, usually with cuts and bruises but still," He explained with an answer as he sat down in front of the cot, "Have you been here before? Before your initial physical I mean?"

The maybe-twenty year old shook his head, "No," He answered.

"What's your name?" Claus inquired.

"Omikava, but everyone just calls me Omi," He answered, "Last name's K'vech."

Nodding, Claus wrote it down on the clipboard before setting it down on the counter nearby, "So want to tell me what happened?"

"Sparring," Omi answered as he gestured to his face before lifting his left leg, "Fell off the little rock-climbing stand."

"Can you take your shoe and sock off then?" Claus requested as he got up to get some icepacks.

When he came back Omi's left foot was bare an a bit swollen. "Put this one to your eye," He instructed as he gently lifted the boy's leg so that his ankle was visible, "Well, it's swollen, it's probably just a sprain so I recommend you staying off your feet for a few days."

"Fich won't like that," Omi murmured, referring to the man in charge of training new recruits and was more of a bully than a man.

Claus scoffed, "Fich doesn't like anything," He muttered, "Well, except punishing people with extra laps."

Omi laughed, "I take it you're not his biggest fan."

"Uh, no," He agreed, shaking his head, "Personally, if you ask me, I think the higher ups of this whole rebellion have someone spiking the coffee with something terrible so he'll take it out on all the new recruits. Man's a freaking sadist."

Omi laughed, it rumbled in his throat like thunder, "Did he train you too?"

"Yeah, unfortunately," Claus answered.

"How long have you been in the rebellion?" He inquired.

Claus thought about it, "I joined about three years ago," He answered, "Almost to the month."

Sighing, Claus started wrapping the boy's ankle before giving him the second icepack for his ankle and a pair of crutches, telling him to take it easy. Rubbing his eyes, Claus contemplated leaving early for dinner. It had been a long day, all he really wanted was a hot meal and his bed.

August 19th, Four years post Galactic Empire

It was a cold night, Mia was upstairs putting the children to sleep while Anakin and Obi-wan watched an old film. It was an action movie, Obi-wan was enjoying it but Anakin wasn't so sure he liked it. Feeling hungry enough for a snack, Obi-wan got up and walked into the kitchen to fix himself something to eat. The window was still open because earlier that day Leia and Luke had been playing with Mia's spices and the result was foul smelling. It still lingered a bit but the smell of smoke from someone's chimney was drifting in, replacing the smell. Grabbing something sweet, he walked back into the living room and sat down next to Anakin. It took a moment but Obi-wan noticed the rigid posture and the glazed over look in his eyes.

"Anakin?" Obi-wan spoke up, placing his hand on the younger man's shoulder.

He twitched but didn't seem to return to the present. Concerned, Obi-wan shook his shoulder a little, hoping to get his attention as he called his name. Anakin jumped away, suddenly alert and panicky.

Trying to get away from what felt like a threat, Anakin stood up suddenly to get away. His world tilted and spun around. Something hit him hard and it took a moment to realize it was the ground. Suddenly Mia was in front of him, whispering that it was okay and that he was safe. He didn't really feel safe, not at the moment. He felt cold and he was starting to shiver. Reaching over him, Mia pulled the blanket off the smaller couch and gently placed it on him, asking if he wanted to sit on the couch. Shakily, Anakin lifted himself onto the couch behind him.

Obi-wan came into view, standing off to the side and not knowing what to do.

Mia turned to Obi-wan and sighed, "He gets flashbacks every now and again," She reminded him, "Sometimes the smell of something burnt or smoke will trigger it."

She turned her attention back to Anakin, "How do you feel?" She asked him quietly.

He looked up at her and met her eyes, silently communicating that he didn't feel all that alright.

"It was in Palpatine's office," Anakin whispered, referring to Mace Windu's death and then the Sith had given him the title of 'Darth Vader'.

Nodding, Mia smiled reassuringly, "Would you like some tea?" She inquired.

"Yeah, alright," He murmured, looking down at his hands.

Turning to Obi-wan, Mia noted that he hadn't moved one. "Can you turn the kettle on?" She requested, thinking maybe a simple task would help him get over his shock, "And close the damn window?"

Getting over his shock, Obi-wan nodded and walked away. Turning her attention back to Anakin, Mia smiled reassuringly before sitting down next to him. He surprised her by pulling her into a tight hug, holding onto her like she would disappear at any moment. Dipping her head into the crook of his neck, Mia returned the hug. To Anakin she was a safe haven, keeping him in the present.

Obi-wan appeared a little bit later, with a fresh cup of tea in hand. He found them in a tight embrace, Anakin's hands tangled in her hair of gripping the fabric of her sweater. They reluctantly pulled away as Obi-wan sat down, setting the cup in front of Anakin. A heavy silence weighed down on them.

"You said smoke triggers flashbacks," Obi-wan reminded them, being the first to speak up, "What else?"

Anakin looked down at his hands, "The sight of blood or the smell of something burnt," He answered slowly, "Every now and again something like seeing a lightsaber fight, even just a mock one with toy lightsabers, sometimes that triggers the flashbacks."

Another long silence followed his words. Anakin stared down at his hands while leaning into Mia, who leaned into him, reminding him that she was here. Obi-wan watched the little exchange, wondering when they would tell him.

"So what should I do when they happen?" He asked them.

Their eyes snapped to him and Mia nudges Anakin, silently encouraging him. "Uh, hard to say," He mumbled, "Sometimes I come out of it on my own and sometimes someone has to shake me out of it. I don't always like being touched when it happens though."

Obi-wan nodded slowly.

"Afterwards I usually get dizzy and cold," Anakin added, looking down at the floor like it was suddenly the most interesting thing in the whole universe, "Also, get Mia if you can, she can calm me down."

Taking his tea, Anakin sipped it slowly. He was feeling better, his heart had stopped racing and he wasn't cold anymore.

"Feeling better?" Mia asked after a moment, seeming to already know the answer.

"Yeah, a little," He answered.

August 28th, Four years post Galactic Empire

It was sunny out so Mia had suggested a trip to the meadow, Obi-wan and Luke hadn't been there before so she figured it was a good idea. After lunch they drove to the parking lot where the path led to the meadow. Leia took Luke's hand and dragged him off, running down the path towards the meadow. Anakin shouted for them to wait but ended up having to run after then. Mia and Obi-wan just laughed, enjoying the shade of the trees that towered over them. The slight downhill slope of the path had them catching up with Anakin and the twins quickly. Obi-wan was stunned by the beauty of the surprisingly big meadow, with its small hills and tall grasses, wildflowers peeking out from the blades of grass. Luke and Leia were running around, laughter bubbling in their throats. Anakin stood off to the side, smiling as they played. He glanced over his shoulder as Mia neared, taking her hand in his.

"I think we should tell him," Anakin whispered.

She looked up at him, grey meeting blue, and nodded slowly as a smile slipped onto her face. Anakin turned to Obi-wan, Mia poking her head out behind him to see before stepping so she was by his side.

"There's something we should tell you," Anakin mentioned as giddy grins graced their features, "Mia and I are together."

Obi-wan nodded slowly before grinning as well, surprising both of his former Padawans. They looked at him, confused by his happy reaction.

"Truthfully, I've known for some time," Obi-wan admitted.

"How long?" Mia questioned, her eyebrows knitting together.

Obi-wan shrugged, "Six weeks?" He answered, "I walked in on you two one night, in the middle of some heated activities."

Mia blushed and Anakin opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Seeming to sense their discomfort, Obi-wan chuckled, "Relax, not that," He assured them, "You two were on the couch, fully clothed—well, for the most part," Obi-wan trailed off, feeling his point was made.

"Oh," Was all Mia could bring herself to say as she looked away, trying to tame the blush on her cheeks.

Smiling, Anakin led Mia further into the meadow by hand till they found a nice spot in the sun to relax in. Laying on their backs, Anakin stretched his arms out, closing his eyes as Mia rested her head on his arm. Delicately placing her hands on her stomach, Mia closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth the sun provided. The sounds of Luke and Leia playing pretend—they were pretty sure Leia was supposed to be a knight and Luke was supposed to be a dragon—filled their ears. Obi-wan watched as Leia came running towards him, grabbing him by hand and dragging him further into the meadow so he could join in on the fun. They were having so much fun they didn't notice Anakin pull Mia in so she was pressed against his side, her head resting on his chest.

"Well, we've told Obi-wan, do we tell the twins?" Anakin asked her.

Rolling onto her back, Mia propped herself on her elbows and took a moment to watch Luke and Leia pretend to have a sword fight. Obi-wan was standing off to the side, Mia wasn't sure if he was supposed to be the dragon or the damsel in distress, either way she thought they were adorable.

"I don't know," Mia murmured, turning her attention back to Anakin, "I want to but I don't know how we'd bring it up."

Anakin smiled at her, "I think if we just stop hiding it they'll figure it out on their own," He suggested, "They're smart kids."

Nodding, Mia looked over at the twins, smiling as Luke ran around with his arms waving in the air, pretending to be some sort of winged creature. Leia had Obi-wan's hand, pulling him this way and that as they ran away from Luke.

"Are they playing 'knights and dragons' or 'space pirates' because I can't tell anymore," Anakin questioned aloud, watching them from where he laid on the ground, a faint smile of mischief on his face.

Mia laughed, "I don't know but I'm pretty sure Obi-wan is the damsel in distress in this one," She told him.

Anakin chuckled, his laugh rich and deep, as he watched his children play, their creativity being all they needed. Slipping his hand under her back, he pulled her closer again, smiling as her hair fell in her face. Looking up, Mia pretended to be irritated but smiled after a moment or two of it.

September 4th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin collapsed on Mia's bed—his bed, he supposed—exhausted from a long day. Their second mechanic had called in sick and Anakin had worked overtime to pick up the slack. He came home to find the twins asleep and dinner a mess of picked-over leftovers. Mia glanced over her shoulder at him as she pulled on a long black shirt that fell past her butt. Anakin was pretty sure it was his but he quite liked it on her so he'd probably never take it back. She walked towards him, crawling onto bed. She laughed when Anakin rolled her so she was resting on top of him, her chest pressed to her. Her laugh was soft and ringing, like music. They kissed, slow and innocent before Mia pulled away, looking at him thoughtfully. She was close enough that Anakin could see the soft specks of gold in her grey irises.

"What do we call this?" She asked him, her voice soft and quiet.

He thought about it for a moment, "I don't know," He answered finally, "Are you my girlfriend now?"

She shrugged, "It doesn't feel like that though," She whispered, "It feels like it's more than that."

"And if someone asked you, what would you call me?" Anakin asked her.

A grin broke out on her face as she thought about that, "My boyfriend," She murmured.

Rolling off him, Mia fell on her back, her arms splayed out like wings. Turning her head to look at Anakin, she considered him thoughtfully. He was dressed in sweats and a ratty old shirt because she'd forgotten about his laundry today. She found she quite liked him in civilian clothing, it was a lot easier to get off than Jedi tunics.

Peeling the covers off the bed, Mia crawled under. Following her, Anakin pulled them over their shoulders and turned off the light before wrapping her in his arms. He quite liked that they didn't have set sides. Sometimes they went to bed on one side and woke up on the other, though usually it was in the other's arms, like neither of them could bare to be too far away in their sleep.

September 8th, Four years post Galactic Empire

It was one of those strange quiet days. Luke and Leia were next door having a playdate with Demi and Elson. They hadn't had a day where the adults were home but the children were gone, not in a long time and this was the first time Obi-wan and Luke were here to participate in it. Anakin and Obi-wan talked idly, mostly about Obi-wan finding a job. Part of Anakin wanted to insist he didn't have too—they had enough money—but Obi-wan just needed something to do during the day so he didn't really fight it. Instead he was suggesting places Obi-wan could check out. Mia was continually looking out the window like she was waiting for something, possibly waiting for Luke and Leia to come running across the yard because they'd gotten into a fight with Demi or Elson. Personally, she doubted it, Demi and Leia were like sisters and Elson and Luke were thick as thieves. Elson was probably very relieved to have a boy his age to play with.

"So remind me again how you got tangled up with the terrorists again," Anakin requested, laughing at the idea of Obi-wan involved with terrorists.

Mia's attention snapped to Obi-wan, curious to hear this story.

"I was minding my own business," Obi-wan insisted, his hands held up defensively.

"Right," Mia agreed slowly, sarcasm leaking into her voice.

"It's the truth," He insisted, "Anyway, it was late at night and I couldn't sleep so I was watching TV when suddenly there's a news cast about a terrorist attack on an Empire base."

Anakin rolled his eyes, "You telling me you didn't know there was an Empire base on the planet?" He questioned dubiously, though there was no heat to his words.

"I knew there was an abandoned military base from the better part of a century before," Obi-wan countered, "But I didn't know it had been turned into a base for the Empire."

"So you decided to get Luke off-world as quickly as possible," Mia spoke up, putting them back on track.

"Yes," Obi-wan answered, "So I took him to the transportation center where I'd kept this beat up little ship I'd traded my fighter for. While I was securing Luke in the ship I heard the sounds of a lightsaber battle nearby. Figuring it was a Jedi in need of help, I made sure Luke was secure and closed the ship."

They nodded, urging him to continue. Though, when Anakin thought about it, he would have just taken Luke and gotten away, Jedi be damned. It was incredibly selfish of him but it was Luke they were talking about.

"Darth Brutus was standing over Claus Greyback, about to kill him," Obi-wan continued, "I fought him for a while until Claus finally knocked the Sith unconscious. He told me to get off-world right away. Before I left, though, he told me about the Rebel Alliance."

Mia and Anakin's eyebrows furrowed, they hadn't heard this part of the story before. "Wait, there's an actual Alliance?" Mia questioned.

"There is," Obi-wan agreed, "I don't know much about it but Claus wanted me to tell you about it."

Mia nodded slowly before turning to Anakin, wondering what he made of it. His face was stormy and silent, almost all emotion hidden behind a mask. She did see one emotion filtering through his eyes though, guilt.

It was later that night and everyone was asleep while Anakin and Mia sat on her bed—his bed, she mused with a smile, she couldn't remember the last time he'd used his bed. Finally, Mia turned to him, examining his profile thoughtfully.

_So what do you think about this Rebel Alliance?_ She asked him through the bond, smiling at his look of surprise at the sudden contact.

Rolling over, Anakin met her eyes, _I don't know_, he answered. _I mean, it's great but the only reason there's a Rebel Alliance is because I helped to create the Empire_.

Mia narrowed her eyes at him, not liking when he blamed himself. _You can't change the present_, She reminded him softly_, You can change the future though_.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, _Are you suggesting I join?_

_I think it's an option_, Mia countered.

_It's a bad option_, Anakin disagreed, _They wouldn't want me and that's not the kind of place to be raising the twins._

_Like I said, it's just an option_, She reminded him.

They lapsed into silence and Mia closed her eyes, rolling it over in her head. She thought it was great there was an actual Alliance but she also didn't know what to think. _Maybe it's safer_, She whispered through the bond.

_I don't see how it's safer_, Anakin disagreed.

She opened her eyes slowly, grey meeting blue once more. _Think about it, wouldn't it be safer to have an entire organization protecting the twins than just us._

_We've been fine_, He reminded her.

She sighed, _We've got two of the most wanted men in the universe here. One day somebody's going to notice and chances are we won't make it out._

Anakin looked down, seeing that she had a very valid point. _They wouldn't want me_, He reminded her, _Not the guy who started the Empire they despise so much._

"We don't know that," She whispered aloud, making his eyes move to hers in an instant out of surprise.

Nodding, Anakin closed his eyes again, "We should sleep on it," He whispered.

"Yeah, agreed," Mia whispered back.

Getting under the covers, Anakin rolled onto his side, smiling faintly as Mia wrapped an arm over his side. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to drift off into sleep.

September 9th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin opened his eyes slowly, taking in his surroundings. Mia's room was becoming more and more familiar to him. He liked the little knickknacks and the way it always smelled like incense. He liked the way it felt warm and inviting, his own room had never felt this inviting—mostly because he hadn't bothered to try and make it so. Rolling onto his side, he found Mia facing him, eyes closed and her breathing even. Brushing a few locks of hair away from her face, he kissed her forward before getting out of bed, making sure to wrap the covers around her to keep her warm on this cold morning. Walking down the stairs silently, he went to his usual meditation spot outside in the backyard.

Instead of focusing on calming his mind, like he usually would, Anakin chose to ponder the idea of the Rebel Alliance once more.

Maybe Mia was right and it was safer for the twins to be there. It also meant doing something good for the universe. He hadn't felt like he was doing something like that in a long time, not since the war. If he was being honest with himself, he missed the days when he felt like his life had purpose. He also thought that thought was stupid because his life did have purpose. Luke and Leia, protecting them was his purpose, it was his duty as a father to take care of them. There was also Mia, he had a duty to protect her, a duty he accepted without even thinking about it.

He'd had a part in starting this Empire and he needed to have a part in ending it too.

September 14th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Mia sat at the small desk in her room, focusing slowly as her right hand swept the brush over the paper, trying to replicate the watercolor picture in the picture. She'd never really gotten a chance to express any real interest in art when she was a child. Jedi training was her entire life and, while the Jedi had never discouraged her art, they'd never encouraged it either. For a while she was actually pretty good but now she was desperately out of practice.

The door to her room opened and Anakin walked in, just back from work. Turning, Mia attempted to hide painting behind her back. His eyebrows furrowed together as he looked at her for a moment.

"What are you hiding?" Anakin questioned as he crossed the room.

"Nothing," Mia insisted defensively.

Smirking, he stepped to the side and took a peak, "Oh, that's nice," He murmured when he saw the painting of a flower, "Why didn't you want me to see it?"

Mia looked down and shrugged, "Because I don't think it's all that great," She mumbled.

Anakin scoffed, "I like it," He told her, "When did you get back into painting?"

"About a week ago," She answered, "Figured it was a nice thing to fill my time."

"You should keep doing it," Anakin encouraged her as he took her hands and pulled her up.

Smiling coyly, Mia followed willingly as she directed them towards the red reading chair in the corner. Falling back into the chair, he pulled Mia down, maneuvering her so she was sitting on his lap. Leaning in, Mia stole a kiss, long and slow. Pulling away, she looked at him with smile on her face as her hand drifted upward and rested on the crook of his neck, her thumb absently tracing over his pulse point. Reaching up, Anakin wound his fingers through her hair, keeping her close at all times. More soft kisses were stolen, one after another.

"Let's do it," Anakin spoke up suddenly, finally saying what had been on his mind for days.

Mia opened her eyes, her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion, "Do what?" She questioned.

"Join the Rebellion," He answered, grinning.

Her eyebrows furrowed a little more out of surprise as a grin broke up on the face, "You want to join the Rebellion?" She inquired.

"Join the Rebellion," He parroted at a whisper before stealing another kiss.

She pulled away from the kiss, laughter bubbling in her throat, "How do we join the Rebellion?"

"I don't know," Anakin answered, smiling, "We'll find out, I guess."


	14. Then Everything Changes

I know, I haven't posted a chapter in over a week. It be fair it's the longest yet, over 9, 500 words. As requested it has a bit more action to it. Also, part of the reason it's late is because my left arm (my writing arm) was injured (I'm seeing an orthopedist tomorrow, well, today when you read this) on Friday. I've been writing since Sunday though, mostly because going to long without writing literally drives me nuts, like, depressed nuts. It is my life after all. Anyway, enough of me, on with the story.

* * *

November 11th, Four years post Galactic Empire

They sat in anticipation as the ship made its slow decent onto Myrkr. The planet was almost completely desolate on the surface due to the lizard like creatures, ysalmari, that created a bubble, almost like a force field, that completely suppressed the Force. It left a Jedi powerless and, in Mia's case, deaf. According to the Rebellion's leaders, she'd probably never be allowed above ground into the small field within the force field keeping the ysalmari out.

When the ship finally landed the pilots told everyone they could unbuckle themselves from the safety restraints. Shivering despite the warm air in the ship, Mia had hers off in an instant. Turning, he helped Luke out of the safety restraints as well. While Mia and Anakin were getting the twins out Obi-wan was grabbing their luggage from the cabin above their heads. They followed the small crowd out the ship and onto the hanger. First thing Mia noticed was the ever present concrete and the bright light coming from above. Looking up, she watched as the door to the hanger closed above their heads, darkness descending. Adjusting to the dim light, she looked around. Ahead stood a sturdy looking man, obviously military by his look.

"Welcome to the Rebel Alliance, I'm commander Marn," He greeted everyone with a broad grin, "This is one of several bases. Here you will go through basic training. I'm told that some of you have military experience already," He looked directly at the three Jedi in the back as he said that.

"First things first, a tour of the base and then you're be assigned your quarters. This base is one of two where families can share quarters, in apartments with two or three bedrooms."

"Tomorrow you recruits will head to the infirmary, there you will be given a health evaluation and afterwards you will report to training."

Mia was pretty sure she was going to hate the health evaluation, mostly because it was always a pain in the ass to explain to someone how it was she was born deaf and perfectly capable of hearing through the Force. She was also curious to know if the Alliance would honor their request for her and Anakin to share quarters. It's not as though they were married though and they could just as easily say no.

"Alright, on with the tour," Marn decided, motioning for everyone to follow, "I recommend leaving your baggage here, you can collect them later."

Gently setting their bags down, they followed the commander out of the hanger and into a long corridor, starting the tour. They saw the cafeteria, the training gyms, the infirmary—where Mia was hoping she'd end up—and many other places. Finally, after the long tour they finally made it to the dormitory. Marn split them up into two groups, the families that would be assigned shared quarters and the individuals that would be assigned personal quarters. Mia felt her heart stop when they called Anakin and the twins, afraid they'd send her to the personal quarters. To her great relief they called her name for the shared quarters. Moving towards Anakin, she took his hand and smiled. Obi-wan was assigned to the individual quarters but he didn't seem to mind all that much.

"Alright, for the families sharing quarters, follow me," A soft, feminine voice spoke behind them.

They turned to see a young Twi'lek with green skin behind them, dressed in what Mia could only describe as a badass combat attire, looking ready for a battlefield. Following her down a hall, they watched as she assigned the apartments to the three families—including them.

"Skywalker and Rosslyn," She spoke up, pointing to a door, "This is yours, it's just a two bedroom is that alright?"

They nodded, they'd take what they could get.

"Alright, here's the key," She told them as she handed it to Anakin, "You can get a duplicate from the main office but I recommend waiting a day or two, it's always chaos after new recruits show up."

"Yeah, thanks," Anakin murmured as he turned to unlock the door.

The door led to a small room with two couches and a ratty old chair, reminding Anakin and Mia very strongly of the apartment they'd shared with Obi-wan back at the temple while they were Padawans. There was a tiny kitchen off in the corner, much smaller than the one from their old house but Mia would make do. Scurrying pass the two adults, Luke and Leia rushed in to explore.

"Why aren't there any windows?" Leia questioned when she'd finished exploring the tiny apartment.

"It's an underground base sweetheart," Mia murmured as she knelt down in front of Leia, "No windows, I'm afraid."

Sighing, Leia turned to the room Luke had disappeared into, "Is that our room?" She questioned, pointing behind her.

Standing up straight, Mia walked towards it to investigate. In it she found a set of bunk beds, a metal bookcase that was built into the wall and a small desk. The room was tiny.

"Yeah, I guess so," Mia murmured, "Which bed are you going to take?"

"I want top!" Luke shouted as he climbed the ladder.

"No, I want the top bunk!" Leia complained, stomping her feet impatiently.

Appearing from behind, Anakin sighed, "Play Jedi-Sith-Bounty hunter," He reminded them.

Turning, Luke and Leia faced each other, "One, two, three!" They shouted before taking their stances.

Leia moved so that it looked as though she was holding a lightsaber while Luke raise his arm like he was holding a blaster.

"Bounty hunter beats Jedi!" Luke shouted victoriously.

"I hate that game," Mia mumbled so that only Anakin could hear.

He chuckled, "You're not the only one," He replied as Luke climbed to the top bunk, criss-crossing his legs as he stuck his tongue out at Leia. "No gloating," Anakin reminded him.

Sighing, Mia stepped out of the room and walked towards the other two doors. One led to the bathroom and the one of the far left led to a bedroom. It was considerably bigger than the twins' room but still rather small.

"So, shall we go get our things?" Mia questioned as she crossed her arms, knowing full well Anakin was standing beside her.

He sighed as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, "I suppose," He answered.

They hadn't just brought luggage, the Alliance had allowed them to bring a few boxes of their things, like the twins' toys or a few knickknacks to make the apartment a little more inviting. Fortunately the pilots had left a few carts to carry the boxes and luggage to the quarters, which were on the other side of the base. The rest of the day was spent packing while Luke and Leia played with their toys in their new room.

Mia was making the double bed in their room when Anakin walked in, "I think it's time for dinner," He decided, "I'm starving."

"Yeah," She agreed, "Can you remember where the dining hall is?"

Anakin shrugged, "I suppose we'll find out," He told her with a mischievous smile before turning to the twins, "Ready for an adventure?"

Leia stood up from her spot on the ground, watching him closely, "What kind of adventure?" She asked him in a tone that was either suspicious or hesitant, Anakin couldn't really tell which.

"The kind with food," He answered, still smiling.

She seemed to think about it before nodding slowly and unfolding her arms, "Well, let's go," She told them, walking towards the door.

Walking down the long maze of corridors, they looked for something familiar. The problem was that the concrete hallways all looked the same save for a series of numbers at each archway as some sort of marker. That would be really helpful if they'd been living on base for longer than a few hours. Finally, fed up with wandering around, Mia walked towards the nearest stranger.

"Excuse me, but, how do we get to the cafeteria?" She inquired.

The woman looked at them closely for a moment before answering, "On your second left you're going to want to go all the way down the hall, you'll find it."

"Thanks," Mia murmured before turning back to her family, motioning for them to follow.

Anakin followed her to the cafeteria, wary of the curious looks he kept getting from the strangers that passed them by, the other rebels. He wasn't sure how they were going to take him joining the Alliance. The leaders seemed pretty thrilled to have him join but that didn't mean everyone would feel the same.

It was late when they finally went to bed. Luke and Leia had been asleep for a few hours but Anakin and Mia had been unpacking the last of their things during the quiet time. Finally, Anakin turned to Mia, the topic that had been weighing on his mind finally reaching his voice.

"Promise me you'll never go above ground," He practically begged.

Mia turned to him, her eyes wide with surprise at his sudden words. She was torn between promising and denying his request, insisting she could take care of herself. His eyes were soft and pleading though, full of worry and concern. If she was being honest with herself she knew that going above ground with be disastrous. So she nodded and made a promise, hoping she could keep it.

November 12th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Mia sighed as she sat down on the exam table, eyeing all the pointless health charts and their way too small print. Closing her eyes, she yawned, wishing she could have gotten more sleep. She didn't like new places and she'd woken up several times in the middle of the night, confused and surprised at her surroundings. Anakin didn't seem to have the same problem though.

Suddenly the door opened and Mia's eyes snapped open. She took in the woman, early thirties and blond hair, as she walked in.

"Miss Rosslyn," She greeted, holding a hand out to shake, "I'm Doctor Frega."

Nodding slowly, Mia shook her hand, "Nice to meet you," She replied.

"My supervisor said you had an," She trailed off, "Unusual case."

Mia resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "I'm deaf," She answered, "You can say it, it's not a naughty word."

Nodding, Doctor Frega put on a sweet smile, "Well, let's get on with the exam."

Stepping forward, she placed the ear pieces of her stethoscope and pressed it to Mia's heart, concentrating. Mia waited patiently as she pressed the cold metal part against her back.

"Breath in," She instructed.

Following her directions, Mia took in a long, slow breath and exhaled it when told to. Satisfied, Doctor Frega pulled away and reached for a black handle, telling Mia to cover her left eye and read the lowest line on the eyesight chart she could see—which was pretty far down the chart.

"S, L, K, Z, E," Mia read before covering the other eye and repeating the same line.

"Have you had a medical exam before?" Frega asked her.

Mia met her eyes, "I'm a Jedi, we tend to get checked up here and there," She answered.

"Yes, about that," Frega said, leaning on her back foot as she looked at Mia thoughtfully, "Your chart says you hear through the Force. How is that possible?"

Mia bit the inside of her cheek, "Broken ears," She answered as pointed to each of her ears, "I use the Force to feed the sounds around me into my brain."

Three rooms over Anakin sat on the exam table, patiently waiting as a young doctor looked him over. Finally came the part where he had to take off his shirt. Pulling it off, Anakin closed his eyes as the doctor examined his back.

"How'd you get these scars?" The young man asked, referring to the scars from old beatings when he was still a slave.

"I don't like to talk about it," Anakin mumbled.

Instead of pushing the doctor changed the subject, "Can you remove your glove?"

Gripping the fabric of the middle finger, Anakin pulled it off, holding it up for the doctor to see. He hated showing anyone his prosthetic and his scars. Mia was pretty much the only person who saw it on any form of a regular basis. She'd seen through him a long time ago and told him, back during the Clone Wars, that he didn't have to hide it around him, that she didn't find it weird, disgusting or in any way off-putting like he'd feared. Padme felt the same way. Still.

"And how did you get that?" He questioned slowly, shock leaking into his voice.

"Battle," Anakin answered shortly, looking over his shoulder to narrow his eyes at the young man. "I don't like to talk about it."

When the exam was finally over he left quickly, waiting in the hallway for Mia to appear. She walked out one of the doors, looking irked. Anakin sighed softly as an agreement. They both hated physicals but they were a necessary evil. Reaching out, Mia took his hand and led him towards the gym where they were going to start their training.

Training turned out to be a bitch and both Anakin and Mia found themselves regretting not working out more in the last four years. Obi-wan was worse off though, much more out of shape than either of them. As they were running laps around the boarder of the gym, Obi-wan got more and more sluggish.

"Come on Master," Mia spoke up encouragingly as she neared him, at least a lap ahead, "You can do better than that."

He just glared at her.

"She's right," Anakin added as he caught up, "Even the fresh meat is making you look like a chump."

"Thank you, both of you, for your lovely input," Obi-wan mumbled through his heaving breaths, a dangerous amount of sarcasm dripping into his tone.

Raising her hands in defense, Mia huffed, "No need to be rude," She muttered, looking offended.

Obi-wan looked down, having the good grace to look apologetic, "Sorry," He told her, "I just don't like the reminder that I'm getting old."

Both of his former Padawans opened their mouths to assure him he wasn't getting old but both hesitated when they realized what they had to say wouldn't most likely make Obi-wan feel worse. Their hesitation, however, said enough to Obi-wan.

Fortunately running laps was the last thing they had to do for the day. Muscles aching in protest, Anakin and Mia walked towards the apartment.

"_I can't remember the last time I trained that hard_," Anakin signed, his arms moving slowly out of soreness.

Mia huffed in agreement, "_I've decided_," She started, raising her hands despite the fact her arms felt like limp noodles, "_That I hate training_."

"_Agreed,_" Anakin signed back.

"_If I have to run one more freaking lap I'm going to smack someone_," Mia threatened.

He laughed, "_Right there with you_."

Unlocking the apartment, Anakin let her walk in ahead of him. Yawning, Mia walked straight to the bathroom, shedding the black tank top as she went, making Anakin follow close behind. In the mess of removing sticky, sweaty clothes, Mia found herself laughing as Anakin pushed her into the shower before the water had warmed up completely.

"Shit that's cold," Mia complained as she turned them, pulling Anakin under the cold water.

He shivered and pushed away from the spray so that Mia was pressed against the cold tile of the shower where he stole a kiss. Shivering in response, she kissed him back, winding her fingers through locks half damp, half dry of hair, standing on her toes so she was closer. Behind him Anakin felt the water warming up and spun them around, pulling Mia under the hot spray. Laughing, Mia pulled away and held her hands up to catch the hot water before pulling Anakin closer so they were both under the hot spray of water. Pulling the hair tie out of her bun, Mia let it fall, enjoying the feeling of it hitting the skin of her bare back and the way Anakin laced his fingers through it.

The hot water had helped to unwind their sore muscles. After their shower they got dressed slowly, Mia towel drying her hair as she pulled on a pair of pants. Anakin passed her a bottle of painkillers from their first aid kit, taking two for himself.

"I hate to see the shape we're in tomorrow," Mia commented with a tired smirk before popping the pills into her mouth and chasing them down with water.

Anakin groaned at the thought, "Come on, let's get the twins and eat," He suggested.

Pulling a long sleeve shirt over her fresh tank top, Mia followed.

To say the twins had been excited to see them again was an understatement. Leia practically launched herself at them, exclaiming that she'd been waiting forever for them to come back. Luke just huffed out of exasperation, not completely minding getting to play with other kids but not quite liking the idea of being apart from his father and Mia for so long. Taking their hands, Anakin and Mia led them towards the cafeteria for dinner, their stomachs rumbling after a long day of training. They found Obi-wan sitting at an empty table, pushing some sort of yellow vegetable around that none of them could really identify. It was probably something native to the planet or possibly engineered, either way, Mia didn't protest when Luke and Leia refused to eat it.

November 13th, Four years post Galactic Empire

They reported to the gym for their second day of training, everyone sore from the previous day. Roffer, the sergeant in charge of training the recruits stood off to the side. He was in his late forties, probably branching off into his early fifties, red faced and built solidly save for a bit of pudge that just came naturally with age—at least, that's what he shouted across the gym when Anakin made a snide remark about it under his breath while they were running their warm up laps.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you Skywalker, this is what happens with age and one day, if you're lucky, you'll get to look like me," Roffer's voice echoed across the room, making a few of the other recruits snicker.

"Is that why he always wears a hat to cover his bald spot?" Mia mumbled when they were on the other side of the gym, safe from being heard by the sergeant.

Anakin snorted in response, "Mia, are you telling me you won't love me as much when all my lovely hair falls out?" He asked her teasingly.

"The only reason this relationship works is your hair," She stated matter-of-factly, looking completely uncaring.

"I'm hurt!" Anakin pouted, purposely running a little farther to the side from her and putting distance in between them, "Don't you like me for my personality."

She just shook her head, "No, just the hair," She replied.

"Skywalker, Rosslyn, enough flirting!" Roffer shouted as they neared and passed him, "You're in the middle of training, not school dance."

Mia and Anakin looked at each other in confusion, "A school dance?" Anakin murmured curiously in between huffing breaths, the warm up laps starting to get to them.

"I'm pretty sure - it's a - civilian thing," Mia mumbled in between breaths, a few words at a time, "Something teenagers do - while in school."

"Weird," Anakin replied, "The Jedi - never had that."

"Attachment, the Jedi way, is not," Mia imitated the infamous Master Yoda, her voice raspy and a little higher pitched.

Anakin rolled his eyes at that and they dropped the subject as they began the last lap of their five required laps. Afterwards Roffer had them stand in a group in the middle of the gym, where the mats were. It was a fairly small group of recruits, ten not including the three of them. Mia was the only girl, which she didn't much like. Obi-wan and one Twi'lek man were the oldest of the group, in their forties while everyone else was in their twenties.

"Alright, today we're going to start teaching you combat," Roffer told them, "We'll be switching between conditioning and various topics of basic training, from hand-to-hand combat to firing a blaster to survival training."

"Today I'm just teaching you a few basic moves and then I'm going to partner you off," Roffer announced.

Out of the corner of her eyes Mia noticed everyone looking between themselves as they realized the odd number of recruits and then turning to her, the only girl. She stared straight into Roffer's eyes, not looking away and not giving away her focus. Finally, after a long and heated stare that everyone seemed to be watching, Roffer looked away.

The basic combat moves were, in fact, very basic. At least a few of the fresh meat knew them. Mia sighed as she moved through moves she'd learned thirteen years ago when Obi-wan taught them. Anakin and Obi-wan seemed equally bored with the concept.

Finally Roffer moved on and started pairing everyone. "I'm going to point to you and assign you either 'one' or 'two' and you will partner up with whoever is closest."

He moved across the line of recruits, pointing to each one as he assigned the numbers. Finally he got to Mia, in the middle of the line, and gave her an evaluating look before passing her and telling Anakin he was a 'one' and moving on.

"That's sexist!" She shouted at Roffer's back, her voice echoing across the gym.

Roffer turned, face even redder then before, "Excuse me, is that how you talk to a commanding officer?!" He shouted.

"It is when they're being sexist!" Mia shouted, stepping out of line and crossing her arms, "I'm just as good at hand to hand combat as they are. For Force's sake, I'm a Jedi!"

Roffer stalked towards her, "Fine, Master Rosslyn, give me fifty pushups and you can spar with whoever you like," He told her, his voice oozing anger and condescension.

Smirking defiantly, Mia crouched down and started doing her push-ups, counting mentally as Roffer told the first pair to stand in the middle of the large square mat in front of them. Moving reluctantly, two twenty-something walked towards the mat while the rest of the recruits switched from watching them to watching Mia as she continued into her push-ups, not even looking tired.

Keeping her breath even, Mia held on through the last ten, finding each one harder and harder to do. She was only a few away and she really wanted to show Roffer that being a girl and being small didn't make her any less capable then the men next to her.

"Fifty," Mia declared as she stood up.

She frowned when Roffer didn't even take the time to just glance at her. Instead, he told the two men on the mat to start sparring. Anakin bumped her arm with his elbow, smirking at her before looking back at the mat. Both of them were average height but Taro had a weight advantage. She watched as the two of them exchanged blows, waiting patiently as she mentally evaluated each of her recruits, wondering who she'd choose. She could spar with Anakin and Obi-wan, they wouldn't go easy on her but she wanted to show everyone else that they shouldn't go easy on her either.

Finally, after two pairs had sparred, Anakin and Obi-wan were next. They smiled at each other and walked towards the mat. Standing ten feet apart, they fell into stance.

"After you Master," Anakin stated, suggesting he hit first.

"No, after you, my former Padawan," Obi-wan bantered with a sly smile.

Anakin shifted his weight towards his back foot as he decided how he was going to fight Obi-wan. "As you wish," He replied quietly before charging and sending a swift punch.

Obi-wan ducked under his arm and moved to punch Anakin's side, expecting his Padawan to stumble with the momentum. Instead Anakin surprised him and dodged him before turning a stumble into a roll and getting back on his feet. Neither could remember the last time they'd had an actual spar together, out of fun. It had to be back before the war, neither could remember a single instance during it or after. Obi-wan took two steps forward and sent a swift kick forward. Anakin didn't have a chance to side step and was sent back a few steps, closer to the edge of the mat. Anakin gasped for a moment, the force of the kick was sent directly to his chest and his lungs protested. Stepping towards the right, Anakin stepped around Obi-wan so he was closer to the center but still just out of reach. Suddenly he bounded forward and swung his leg out in a kick. The blow hit Obi-wan side pretty hard and sent him stumbling to the ground. He got up before Anakin could have a chance to make use of his momentary advantage. They circled around each other, waiting for the next move or the next opportunity, whichever came first. Obi-wan was covering his face well enough but wasn't covering his torso. Moving forward, Anakin took advantage of that and delivered three quick punches, one to the diaphragm, one to his ribs and one to his back. He'd seen Mia use that move a lot before, particularly when facing opponents bigger than she was. Obi-wan stumbled to the side, his breath force out of his lungs from the force of the hits. Taking his surprise as an advantage, Anakin dropped into a spin kick, sweeping Obi-wan off his feet and onto his back.

"Yield," Anakin ordered, positioning his fist over Obi-wan's throat.

He held up his hands in surrender, "I yield," He announced.

Reaching out his hand, Anakin pulled Obi-wan to his feet before bowing. "Good spar, Master," Anakin murmured, too low for anyone but Obi-wan to hear.

"Good spar Anakin," Obi-wan agreed, returning the bow.

They walked towards the line of recruits, stepping so they were standing beside Mia. She nudged Anakin, giving him a congratulatory smile before nudging Obi-wan and silently assuring him he did well too. Three more partners sparred before Mia got her turn.

"Alright Rosslyn," Roffer spoke up, turning to look at her for the first time since she started her push-ups. Mia held back an eye roll at the way he spoke at her like she was a child, "Who would you like to spar with?"

Mia walked out and turned so she could see each recruit and pretended to consider her options. She'd made her decision right after Anakin and Obi-wan had sparred.

"Yut-iva," She decided, looking straight at the recruit.

He was tall, dark skinned and muscular, easily twice Mia's size. None of the other recruits—save for Anakin and Obi-wan—could contain their surprise. Yut-iva looked at her hesitantly, not wanting to fight someone who clearly didn't stand a chance against him. She smiled at him reassuringly before moving towards the mat and standing in the center, watching as he approached. They stood ten feet or so apart. Mia took a wide stance, tensing her core and head ducked down so she could protect both her chest and her face. Yut-iva had a wide stance and he put more foot on his back leg, which could be both helpful and problematic for him, depending on how close Mia could get to him. His hands were protecting his face, which worked to her advantage. She also had the advantage of knowing his fighting style and that he relied heavily on his fists and rarely used his legs. Nobody, save for Anakin and Obi-wan, knew what kind of style she preferred.

They circled around each other and Yut-iva looked like he was waiting for her to make the first move. She kept in stance, slowly circling around as she waited for him to give up and make the first move. She knew Yut-iva wasn't terribly patient and liked to make the first move, so she expected it to come at any second. The third time they circled around was when he lost his patience. He bounded forward, fist raised. Ducking under the blow, Mia stepped away, watching as the momentum had him stumbling forward. She held her hands behind her back for a moment, smiling innocently as he turned to face her before falling back into stance. Obi-wan would have scolded her for letting her guard down for even a second but she knew that innocent smile would make him lose his patience just a little more. Raising his hands to cover his face, he continued forward, trying to land a punch. Mia side stepped and moved away, putting more distance between her and her opponent. One thing people forgot about size was that being smaller also made her faster. Yut-iva frowned and moved towards her but instead of swinging a punch he kicked his leg forward, aiming for her directly. She spun to the side, feeling the air shift as his foot flew past. Taking the opportunity of being this close, she ducked under his arm, hooked her foot over his and pushed him forward by his shoulder. Yut-iva tripped over her foot and fell face first. He looked up at her, the look of surprise on his face priceless. She was sure everyone else was sharing the same expression but she kept her focus on her opponent. Instead of making him yield like she could have very easily done, she move away and allowed him to pick himself back up again. She wasn't done making her point. Moving forward, Yut-iva swung his arm out sideways, intending to hit her on the side of her head or neck. Instead, Mia ducked under the arm and delivered two quick punches to his unguarded side. He grunted at the pain, surprised again. He swung his arm out again. Crouching down on all fours, she allowed the arm to pass over her before springing up into the air, knees to her chest. She kicked out with both feet, landing a hard kick to his chest that had him falling back. Mia landed on her feet the same second Yut-iva landed on his back.

"Yield," She told him, her fist positioned over his neck.

He looked up at her, blinking in surprise before he laughed, "I got to admit, you're pretty damn good. You could wipe the floor with them."

Mia smiled at the compliment and offered him her hand. Taking it, Yut-iva stood up and they walked back into line with the other recruits and not once did Mia spare a glance at Sergeant Roffer. Face red with frustration, he told them to go to lunch. As they were walking out the gym Yut-iva swung an arm over the shoulders.

"So where'd you learn to fight like that?" He asked her.

"I've never seen anything like it," Rele agreed, his shaggy blond hair swishing as he nodded in agreement.

From where she stood at the front of the group, Mia looked over her shoulder at Anakin and Obi-wan in the back, smiling. She hadn't seen Anakin's jealous expression when Yut-iva had playfully put his arm around her shoulder.

"I'm not exactly the largest in size," She started, looking back at the other recruits, "So Obi-wan taught be to use that as an advantage. I learned to use my opponent's force against them."

"You three should eat with us," Yut-iva decided, remembering that the three of them had decided to sit alone the day before.

"Sounds great," Obi-wan agreed, tossing a sideways look at Anakin, noticing his discomfort at both Yut-iva's close proximity of Mia and the idea of eating at a crowded table of strangers.

On the way to the cafeteria Mia slipped through the group and moved to walk by Anakin's side. The second she was within reach he wrapped his arm around her waist, smiling proudly at her.

After getting their food they chose a table in the middle of the room, sitting down on the metal benches. As they were eating everyone was asking them what it was like being Jedi and fighting in the war since, seven years ago, most of them weren't old enough to fight in any war. To be fair, Anakin and Mia weren't really old enough to fight in a war either but that didn't stop the Jedi from deploying them before they weren't even through with their apprenticeship. Anakin found out that they looked up to him the most, since he'd practically been the poster boy of the Republic.

"Still can't believe Roffer's face when you were sparring," Taro spoke up, looking between Mia and Yut-iva, "You should have seen it, I thought the guy was going to give himself an aneurism."

"Is that what that was?" Anakin spoke up, "To me he just looked constipated."

"I would be if I had that stick up my ass," Mia muttered under her breath, laughing softly, "Still love what he said when you made the comment about his pudge."

Half of them turned to him, "What'd you say?" They asked him almost simultaneously, eyes wide and curious.

"Well, he told Obi-wan to pick up the pace and that for a man his age he should be in more shape," Anakin trailed off, "So I muttered something along the lines of 'Is that why you have so much pudge on that belly' and I guess he heard me."

"Damn right he heard you," Mia agreed.

November 17th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Training continued for them, one day conditioning and the next combat practice and another day of training. They heard rumors that they were going to have blaster training that day. The Jedi of the group were personally not looking forward to that, it went against their training. Obi-wan had gone so far as to call the use of a blaster as reckless and uncivilized. The Jedi had rather strict views on blasters so none have them had ever held one in combat, not even in war when they'd somehow lost their lightsaber or it was out of reach. The range had fifteen targets in line on one side and on the other side were a series of stands, each separated by a barrier—whether for protection or safety or privacy, they knew not—and at each stand where two different blasters. There were rifle blasters that they all recognized from the Clone Wars and there were smaller blasters one held in their hand. To everyone's great relief, Roffer was not teaching this exercise.

In front of them stood a woman, tall, toned and dressed in all black. If Mia had to describe her in one word it would be dangerous. Her hair was in a tight ponytail and her sharp features on display. She looked at them with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"Alright, pick a spot and stand there," She told them before stopping one of the more eager recruits and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, "Don't touch the guns, not until I say, got it?"

Swallowing, Rele nodded and she let go of him and stood to the side so he could continue down the line. Once they were in front of the guns, with just two spots open, she told them to turn their backs on the range and face her.

"Alright, I'm Roth, I'm in charge of the range. I joined the Rebellion three years ago and before that I'd never held a gun in my life. I can already tell some of you haven't either and I can tell that some of you don't ever care to. That's alright, chances are you won't have to do it too much. This is to just teach you how to use a gun safely, then we can work on your aim."

She went over the rules of the range and how to use a gun safely, where the safety on both guns were located and how to change the energy clips. Then she went over stance and how to properly hold and aim a gun. Finally she had them practice their stances without holding a gun before picking them up.

Mia was surprised by the weight of the gun, Obi-wan was surprised by how it felt in his arms. Anakin found it was a bit like he expected, but only because he'd closely studied how to clones handled their guns. All three of them were surprised by the force of the gun when they fired for the first time. Mia looked at it closely as she felt the gun vibrate softly after the force from when she first fired, like the gun was alive. Lifting it up again, she braced herself for the force of it and fired again. It still surprised her so she fired again. This time a scorch mark appeared on the bottom of the target.

She felt Roth move behind her and lowered the gun slowly, flipping the safety on before setting it down completely.

"The trick is how you hold the gun," She told Mia, "Pick it up again."

Picking it up with her firing hand, Mia lifted it and met it with her left hand to hold it, keeping her right index finger on the side of the gun and away from the trigger as instructed. Reaching around Mia, Roth moved her left hand away and moved her right hand further up the handle of the gun.

"This gives you leverage on the gun," She told Mia, "Keep your knees slightly bent, helps absorb the momentum of discharge."

Examining Mia's stance and grip of her gun closely, Roth nodded with a smile and told her to fire again. Flipping the safety off slowly, Mia fired carefully, smiling when the scorch mark from her second shot was higher and closer to the center.

After lunch they went to a training room they'd never seen before and found Roffer standing at the door. He looked at each and every one of the recruits with an evaluating stare. It unnerved a few of them.

"Alright, in you go," He told them, opening the door.

They filed in and looked up at the tall rock climbing wall, easily two stories tall, possibly three. A few of them swallowed nervously while others looked excited. Anakin and Obi-wan exchanged a smirk as Mia walked to the front of the group, excitement flowing through the bond to both of them. Roffer went through the arduous lecture of safety while climbing, which took up a good fifteen minutes. Then he walked towards three instructors standing by the wall, watching with amused expressions.

"Alright, who wants to go first?" He asked them.

Mia was the first to raise her hand. "Rosslyn, Skywalker, Hehro, Trevot," He called.

The four of them approached the wall. Mia casted a glance at Taro Hehro, Anakin and Svurue, the Twi'lek who was about Obi-wan's age and very quiet by nature. The instructors and Roffer helped them get into the harnesses.

"Have you ever climbed before?" Mia's instructor asked her, a curious look in his hazel eyes.

Mia grinned, "Yeah, once or twice before," She answered.

Anakin snorted at that.

"Is everyone strapped in?" Roffer asked them.

There were several affirmative nods and sounds from the lot of them. Roffer motioned for them to approach the wall. Mia looked up the face of the wall, it's crooks and crannies, the way it jutted out and sunk in like a real mountain. They all tested the sturdiness of the rope before starting. Planning her route in her head, Mia grabbed the first hand hold and pushed herself up, stepping her left foot onto a small foothold before raising her opposite arm for the next. Anakin looked up as she climbed up the face of the wall easily, passing all three of them.

"How is she doing that?" Taro, climbing on his left, asked him as Mia continued to pass them.

Anakin just shook his head and reached for the next handhold.

Mia reached the part of the wall that jutted out over her head. It wasn't going to be easy and it would test the limits of her upper body strength. Her expression turned from thoughtful to determination as she reached for the first handhold on the outward slope of the wall, pulling herself as close to the wall as possible.

"Seriously, how is she doing that?" Taro questioned as he struggled to climb.

"This is child's play for her," Anakin muttered as he continued.

He looked down at Taro, watching as he reached out for the handhold above him, just out of reach for his long arms.

"Grab the one on your right," Anakin suggested, "Then move your right leg to the one just below."

Taro reached for it, looking up at Anakin thankfully as he moved up the wall.

Mia bite her lip as she pressed her foot against the next foothold, her left knee pressed against the wall as she reached for the handhold. It was inches away from her fingertips. Scowling, she looked around for a good alternative but found none. She could just jump and catch it but she might miss and fall—the harness would catch her though, so she wasn't too worried about that. She looked around her as everyone else started to catch up with her. Anakin looked at her curiously, surprised that she'd stopped. He'd hate what she was about to do, Obi-wan too. Crouching down, well as down as you could from her position, she coiled up and sprung forward. There was a split second of weightlessness and Mia grabbed the handhold with both hands, hanging in the air.

"Are you suicidal?!" Anakin shouted, having seen it all.

Mia laughed as she swung her legs forward while simultaneously lifting herself up by her arms. Hooking her left foot on her previous handhold, Mia moved her right leg so her toes were caught in a crevice. She reached from the last handhold right before the edge of the outward slope. It sloped upward at about a 100 to 110 degree angle so it would be considerably easier that what she'd faced just now.

They continued up the wall. Taro and Anakin had a similar challenge to Mia but far less difficult. Svurue had the easiest path, an almost completely straight up climb. It was Mia who reached the top of the wall first, moving to sit on the edge with her feet dangling in the air as she watched the rest of them climb the last two meters.

"Where'd you learn to climb like that?" Svurue asked her as he reached the top, the first time he'd spoken since they'd started the exercise.

"Small people have the advantage with this," Mia explained, "They're the lightest."

She looked down thoughtfully as Taro reached the top last. Roffer told them to make their descent. They dropped down a meter at a time, pressing their feet to the wall before going down another meter, the feeling of weightlessness a surprisingly pleasant feeling.

"People tend to underestimate me so I learned to use that as my advantage, work hard so I was just as good as everyone else," Mia told him as they made their way down slowly.

"I don't think people will underestimate you now," Svurue stated with humor in his tone, a rich and low chuckle bubbling out of him.

November 27th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Their training begun to become more and more intense. They were fifteen days into their training. Basic training lasted for six weeks, then specialized training took place. Everyone had an idea of where they wanted to be in the Alliance. Anakin wanted to be in the field, part of the missions to bring down the Empire. Obi-wan had decided he either wanted to train new recruits or he wanted to be part of the deciding process, strategizing missions and making plans for the Alliance. Mia knew she wanted to be both a part of the field, going on missions, and working in the infirmary, putting her medical knowledge to use. She wasn't sure she'd get both though.

They'd also gotten really close with the other recruits, surprisingly they all liked each other. There wasn't any bullying or cliques. It was very different from when Anakin and Mia had gone through their Jedi training. Mia was already an outcast because she was deaf and Anakin was picked on because he was the first of their year to be taken on as an apprentice. That was part of why they became such good friends, they looked out for each other.

Today was a sparring day and this time they were going to be sparring all at once. In the gym were five mats, meaning ten would be in the middle of sparring while three people would stand on the side, ready to take someone's place. Mia was looking forward to it because it meant she'd get to face multiple opponents. Roffer had brought in a chalk board—neither Mia nor Anakin could remember the last time they'd seen one but they were pretty sure it was back before Mia was officially Obi-wan's Padawan. He had already set up the partners, one name over the other, with lines straight ahead to write down the winner.

Suddenly the door opened and five people walked in. They weren't dressed in the usual casual clothing everyone on base wore. The four men were dressed in simple but formal robes, their hair neatly combed back. The one woman stood off to the right of the group, dressed in a dress much nicer than anything Mia had ever worn before, her hair pulled into a simple but elegant hairstyle. Mia was pretty sure they, at some point in their lives, had been involved in the Republic, as senators, representatives or diplomats. They were probably there to review how their training was going. The group of recruits all looked between each other, curiosity taking over all their expressions.

Roffer all but ignored them, allowing them to stand off on the side without any form of announcement, instead he told the sparring partners to take their places on the mats.

Mia looked to Taro, her assigned sparring partner, and smiled. They moved to the mat all the way to the right and stood against each other. Roffer said they could start at any time. They bowed before falling into stance. Mia kept to her usual stance, legs just past shoulder width apart, her core tensed and her head bowed down as she covered both her chest and her head. Taro hadn't taken to training right away so Anakin had been helping him, teaching him better stances and better ways of defending himself when sparring.

"Ready?" She asked him.

"Don't go easy on me," He told her.

Mia smirked.

By now Taro had figured out that she never threw the first punch and that she was very good at evading. He kept a close distance, about six feet apart. They were far enough apart that they were just out of striking distance but close enough that, when Taro chose to make the first move, Mia would have less time to evade him.

Moving forward, he moved to punch head on. Mia side-stepped quickly, keeping the same amount of distance. She needed to be close when she made her first move.

Taro turned and sent a kick her way. Moving to the right, Mia spun out of the way, her braid flying through the air around her. She allowed Taro to get closer, giving him a chance. He swung his leg out in a kick, intending to hit her side with his shin. Mia didn't have time to get out of the way. Absorbing the blow, Mia pinned his leg to her side. Realizing she had him, Taro sent a punch her way. She blocked it with her left forearm while kicking him on his right side the same way he'd kicked her. She released his leg, allowing him to fall on his left side. He scrambled to get back up, falling back into stance. They circled around each other as Taro considered his options. She liked to take body shots so maybe he should focus on protecting his chest better.

He moved forward, quickly closing the distance as he punched forward. She barely had enough time to duck, stealing a moment to deliver a punch to his diaphragm as he all but ran into her. The breath was forced out of his lungs, making him choke for a moment. Taking the opportunity, Mia pushed him forward, adding to the momentum and sending him face first into the mat. He started to get up but Mia wanted him to stay put. She didn't want to hit him but if this were a real fight she'd have delivered a swift kick to his ribs. Instead she planted her foot on his back, pressing him back into the ground.

Taro groaned, struggling for a moment before muttering the dreaded word. "Yield."

Pulling her foot away, she watched him stand up. Two of the men in their formal robes were watching them closely, sizing up both Mia and Taro. He couldn't help but stiffen because he really hadn't come out well in that. Noticing his discomfort, Mia nudged him before approaching Roffer, telling him she'd won. He wasn't in the least bit surprised, he'd actually gotten a bit tired of watching her kick all his new recruits around.

He turned to watch as Skywalker and Kenobi sparred, deciding she'd go up against whoever one that little scuffle.

Anakin and Obi-wan circled around each other for the umpteenth time, waiting for the next opportunity. Obi-wan wasn't known for rash decisions, waiting for the most opportune time to strike. That was definitely one thing Mia learned from him, shame he couldn't say the same of his other former Padawan. Anakin surged forward, launching his leg out in a spin kick. It knocked into his shoulder and Obi-wan felt the bones rattle for a moment. Brushing it off, Obi-wan backed off, putting a foot or two of distance in between them. Anakin moved forward, closing the distance but keeping a safe enough distance. He didn't want Obi-wan too far away. The fight had been wearing on them both and they were starting to sweat, not sure who would win this. Both of them were hoping that, after this, they got an easier opponent as some sort of reprieve so they could get their energy back up.

On a whim—much like Anakin—Obi-wan charged forward and moved to punch Anakin from the side. Grabbing his wrist with precision, Anakin twisted, his back vulnerable to Obi-wan. Gripping Obi-wan's elbow so it was forced straight, Anakin rolled forward, Obi-wan following.

Obi-wan grunted as he landed on his back, the impact leaving him stunned and struggling to breathe for a moment. In that brief moment Anakin had taken his advantage and aimed his fist at Obi-wan's throat.

"I yield," Obi-wan declared, sounding none too happy about it.

Offering his hand, he levered Obi-wan up and allowed him to stand before they approached Roffer, who was standing with Mia, Taro and Yut-iva.

"Mia, Skywalker, to the mat," He ordered.

Mia hadn't noticed it but Anakin and Obi-wan had. She was the only person Roffer ever referred to by first name. They suspected it was because he was warming up to Mia. She worked hard and took every advantage she got. She didn't back down from a challenge. He seemed to respect that.

Anakin sighed through his nose, thankfully nobody noticed. He'd hoped for Taro, he could go for an easy cool down. Mia always presented a challenge but he could take her.

"After you," Anakin told her, a soft undertone of flirtation in his voice as he gestured to the mat he'd just walked off of.

"This'll be a show," Obi-wan muttered under his breath to Taro, Yut-iva and Sergeant Roffer.

Mia smirked and walked ahead. They stood about ten feet apart and bowed. They knew each other's fighting styles all too well and could easily counter the other. Falling into stance, Anakin contemplated his first move while Mia anticipated how he'd move into attack.

Making up his mind, Anakin charged forward and jumped into an aerial kick, aiming to knock her to the ground. As he anticipated Mia dropped into a roll under him, landing back on her feet easily as he landed solidly on both feet. They turned to face the other, both of them smirking. He moved forward quicker than anticipated, sending a blow to quick for Mia to side step. She bent backwards just as Anakin's punch sailed over where her head would have been. He'd learned to expect that'd she'd find a way to evade his head shots, even if he rarely used them when sparring with her. Lifting her legs into the air, she pressed her feet into Anakin's chest, pushing him back, before flipping backwards and landing gracefully on her feet. He moved forward as she landed on her feet, arm swinging out with the intention of hitting the side of her neck. It would do minimal damage but still knock her to the ground. Ducking under with a small step to the right so she was just out of reach, she slammed her elbow into his side. He grunted under the surprising force of the blow, stumbling to the side as he regained his balance. They backed away from each other, evaluating the situation again as they breathed heavily. Anakin wasn't sure he could win this one because, since they'd arrived on base, Mia had been practicing her acrobatics, fine tuning her flips. Mia wasn't sure she could win this fight because Anakin had always been a good opponent, fighting came easily to him, whether it was with a lightsaber in his hand or without.

He moved forward with a new influx of energy flowing through his veins. Mia expecting him to strike her upper body, he tended to prefer that, her chest of her shoulders. He surprised her by dropping into a kick and sweeping off her feet—she never thought she'd have such a thought and have it not be in the romantic sense. Landing on her back, Mia moved to flip herself up again but Anakin beat her to it, aiming his fist at her throat.

"Yield," He ordered.

Flipping up into the air anyway, Mia grabbed hold of his wrist with her left hand and wrapped her legs around his shoulder as she allowed herself to fall to the ground, rolling over her head and pulling Anakin back to her. Back when they were young and she hadn't yet perfected the move she'd actually dislocated his shoulder. Now she knew how to perform the move and not cause any real damage beyond a little pain when he landed and a bruise ego. With her free hand she moved herself so she was standing, Anakin beneath her feet. She jumped out of reach when he moved to grab her legs. She moved to force him into a yield position but he rolled away and scrambled onto his feet. They circled around each other, sizing the other up like predators. Mia took a chance and did something she never did, she sprinted forward and landed a punch into his diaphragm, careful to not hurt him beyond a decent bruise. Anakin grunted in pain, stumbling back but not falling back. His chest burned as the air was forced out of his lungs. He had to breathe for a moment or two, something Mia was kind enough to allow before attacking again. He ducked under a punch and did something he'd seen her do a thousand times before. He used her weight and her momentum against her, pressing his hand into the space between her shoulder blades and pushed her forward. Mia handed on her stomach, arms spread in front of her like wings. She moved to lift herself up but Anakin moved quickly and pressed his hand into the same place, pinning her. She struggled for a moment before finally admitting defeat.

They stood up and noticed, for the first time in the entirety of their fight, that all eyes had been on them. There were expressions of shock and surprise, looking impressed and, in Obi-wan's eyes, proud. Anakin and Mia's chests rose and fell, almost in sync, with their heavy breaths, ready for a break.

A day full of sparring had taken it out of them. They were all sure they'd find a colorful assortment of bruises in the morning, but for tonight they celebrated.

* * *

Hope that was worth the wait. Tell me how you liked it, reviews are very welcome and very encouraging and a bit inspiring.


	15. And We Pick Our Teams

I finally finished this chapter, I've been steadily working on it for the last week or so. It was a bit difficult with my hurt arm (and in the case of tonight, a migraine) but hey, worth it.

* * *

December 7th, Four years post Galactic Empire

They had to arrive for training early that morning, three hours before most people got up. Luke and Leia were still sound asleep, being watched by Svurue's teenage daughter, Aly'a. Anakin and Mia had crept through the apartment, grabbing a quick breakfast before leaving for the training gym. They found the door unlocked and most of the other recruits sitting on the training mat in the middle of the gym. Roffer was nowhere to be seen. Exchanging a look, they approached the group and sat down. Mia crossed her legs and fiddled with her braid as she waited for their trainer to arrive. He had to have something special planned today if he wanted them to show up early. They sat in quiet anticipation, some of them still fighting sleepiness off and some fidgeting nervously with excitement.

The door opened suddenly, the sound echoing across the gym, startling all thirteen of them. Roffer walked in, followed by fifteen relative strangers walking in a line. They were all, save for a few, young. Some faces were recognizable from silent passings in the hall and a glance across the cafeteria. No names accompanied these names because training was so intense they rarely got opportunities to socialize outside of their group. They stood behind Roffer, all of them sizing the group up.

"Alright, today you will be doing what we call a rundown. This is just an exercise we put all the new recruits through. You'll be taken to a training ground in an open area and you'll be given a mission. Here's the thing, you'll be split into two teams to do this and to make things interesting, we pull the most recent batch of graduated recruits to go up against you."

Taro raised his hand suddenly. Roffer gave him an annoyed look before gesturing for him to ask his question.

"Sorry, where's this training ground we're going to?" Taro asked.

Mia prayed it was either below ground or on some other planet. She really didn't want to go above ground on this planet with their ysalmari.

"Above ground, about a hundred miles from here," Roffer answered before turning his sole attention on Anakin, Obi-wan and Mia, "For the Jedi of this group, let me warn you, no, the compound is not protected by a force field so yes, there will be ysalmari around."

Mia bite her lip to keep from complaining. This could go bad, really bad. What if she couldn't hear orders or someone snuck up behind her? She was at a serious disadvantage here.

"I'll explain the rules when we get there, everyone gear up," Roffer ordered.

The new recruits looked to each other in confusion at the command of gear up. A few from the group across the room chuckled at their clueless faces, including one girl.

Finally a guy broke the soft laughter and explained it to them, "By gear up he means we're going to the mission prep room. That's where you go to get guns and armor."

"What about lightsabers?" Anakin questioned with a raised eyebrow, looking at Roffer.

"For this exercise you won't use them but on regular missions you will," Roffer answered, "Come on."

They followed him down a series of hallways that reminded some of them vaguely of the tour when they first got on base, walking out of the hanger. Roffer stopped and walked into a room. Inside was a small room with a woman standing behind a counter. Behind her were shelves of guns and black armor. They got in line, the line reaching out past the door and got their gear. Anakin looked down at the stack of armor placed in front of him, protective vest, black pants and short, protective arm and leg gear and combat boots in his size. He followed the line through a door off to the side. It was a locker room. Taro stopped in front of him.

"Wait, are we supposed to share this?" He asked, truly confused, "What about Mia or the other girls, do they have to change with us?"

Mia looked over her shoulder as she stood in front of a locker, shedding her short sleeve shirt. "There are a few stalls you can get dressed in if it bothers you that much," She suggested with a raised eyebrow before putting on the black long sleeve shirt.

Taro turned and looked at Anakin behind him, wondering if he was okay with his girlfriend changing in front of a bunch of guys. He was sadly very used to it from back during the Padawan days. Moving past Taro, Anakin opened the locker next to Mia and placed his pile of armor and clothes on the bench next to them.

"Are you worried?" He asked her softly.

Mia turned to him, her expression blank, "Are you?" She questioned, deflecting.

That was answer enough for him. "I can stay with you the entire time, watch your back," He suggested, hoping she'd take him up on his offer. She wouldn't, he knew that already.

As she was pulling her pants Mia gave him a withering look, "I can take care of myself," She insisted quietly, "I've handled worse before."

Anakin opened his mouth to protest but kept it closed, knowing he couldn't persuade her. He watched as she pulled her protective vest over her head, shrugging it on before doing up all the straps. Pulling his shirt over his head, he sat down and started putting on his boots, followed by all the armor.

As soon as they were done they went to collect their guns. A standard rifle complete with a shoulder strap and a hand blaster with a holster. They stood in a line at the hanger, new recruits on one side and the last batch on the other side. Roffer looked at both teams before lifting a small box neatly packed with energy packets to be loaded into the cartridges of the guns.

"These are special energy packs, we use them when training. They're meant to just stun. No loss of consciousness and no pain, just five minutes of immobilization which, let me tell you, is a bit of a bitch but not as bad as they used to be."

As Roffer spoke he handed four to each of them, two for now and two for when they ran out.

He went over the protocol for boarding a ship destined for combat even though everyone had heard it several times before. But this was basic training, it was meant to prepare both the mind and body and apparently training the mind meant drilling protocol into their heads with every waking breath. They filed in single file through the small ship, not meant for leaving the atmosphere on its own. Above their heads were three sets of poles running from the front where the pilot's cabin was to the very back, hand straps dangling from the poles to keep them steady. They grabbed the straps, surprised by the rockiness of the ship. Well, some of them were. Mia, Anakin and Obi-wan had been on ships similar to this thousands of times, surrounded by clones, waiting for combat.

It felt like that, waiting for combat, waiting for war. It was the stuffiness of the air and the way they could feel the person behind them, almost pressed to their backs in the small confines of the ship. It was the way the ship rocked and the air flowed through the open doors, jarring them and making them even more alert than before. It was the way they were all weighed down by armor and weapons. It was the way adrenaline and anticipation swam through their veins like drugs flow through the veins of an addict trying to quit.

It felt like the war and the moments before combat. For a moment, the Jedi wondered if they'd ever really put the war behind them.

They were at their destination in minutes, the flight seeming as though it had scarcely begun before it stopped. The ship hovered in air for a long moment as Roffer told them exactly what they were supposed to do when the ship landed. As he spoke they could feel the ship descending slowly before it touched the ground, the roar of engines dying out. They filed out the same way they'd boarded the ship, new recruits on one side and the graduated, full-fledged Rebels on the other.

It was still dark out, and would be dark for another few hours. Around them they could see the dark outlines of buildings. Where they stood was barely illuminated by the lights of the transport ship.

"Alright you already seem to know your teams," Roffer stated as he looked between the two groups, "Your mission is to guard this."

He held up a purple flag. It was fraying at the edges and almost transparent.

"I'm sure you've played this game at some point in your lives but in case you've forgotten, let me explain your objective. You need to guard your flag but at the same time you need to try and capture the flag of the other team. The mission ends when one of the flags is captured."

Anakin and Mia looked over at each other. They'd never played this game before. It wasn't really something Jedi did.

"Here are the rules," He started, breaking the two Jedi from their thoughts, "Rule number One, you must be within the compound at all times, going out of bounds is an automatic disqualification for both you and your team. Thankfully for you, the boarders of the compound are clear, climb the fence you see behind me and you'll regret it."

They looked past Roffer to the fence, tall and thick, a difficult climb but possible.

"Rule number Two, once you hide the flag, you cannot move it."

They looked between each other but some of them noticed that the other team weren't really paying attention to Roffer. They'd played this before and the rules wasn't anything new to them.

"Rule number Three, don't bury the flag."

A few of them laughed at that. Roffer frowned, annoyed at their amusement.

"I'm serious, that happened about a year back and the other team didn't remember where they buried it so we had to get a new flag." As he said this, his voice loud and booming, he pulled a yellow flag out of his backpack, considerably newer.

"Rule number Four, once the other team captures your flag, you are not allowed to attack them."

They looked around to their teammates, silently wondering what had happened to cause this rule.

"Rule number Five, if you do not complete the mission by dinner the game will end and we'll have to come back tomorrow for a new game."

He walked to the team of new recruits and handed them the purple flag.

"Aw, why do we get the old flag?" Rele whined.

Mia elbowed him in the ribs, hard enough to remind him where he was and soft enough to not actually hurt all that much, "Hey, I like purple," She spoke up.

Something suddenly felt different for Mia, the Force felt weaker and she could feel is slipping away slowly. She looked to Anakin, worried. In response, Anakin wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to his side reassuringly.

"Alright, off you go," Roffer ordered, motioning for them to start. His voice was naturally very loud but to Mia it couldn't have been above a whisper.

Tightening her grip on her rifle, she followed Obi-wan as he led their team further into the compound. The Force instantly came back as she moved away from the fence, where she was sure an ysalmari was lurking. Obi-wan didn't say anything as they moved away from the other team, likely wanting to wait until he was sure they were out of hearing rage. He might also be waiting for a place where the Force was not at all weakened by the presence of ysalmari.

Obi-wan observed the buildings around him, not quite sure where they were going. He slowed, taking a moment to survey things. Everything was quiet, the sounds of quick footsteps from the other team had long since died out.

"We need an eye in the sky," He stated as he turned around to face his team.

Everyone's eyes turned to Mia, the best climber out of all of them. Sighing, Mia handed the purple flag to Obi-wan and passed him to a smaller building. It was about a story tall with just a door and a window. They were all very simple, not much to distinguish one from the other beyond height. Looking at it she noticed the small fence that jutted out on the side, like it was meant for climbing. Around it were taller buildings. It was all too convenient if you asked her but then again, nobody asked her. Running forward, she jumped and landed in a crouch on the waist height fence. Easily maintaining her balance, she stood and reached up, above her head, to the edge of the top of the building. Kicking her feet into the wall, she climbed up easily.

Below the others watched with amusement as she climbed the face of a three story building that was cracked and weathered with time, using the rough, crumbling parts of the wall as hand holds.

"Do you ever get tired of that?" Obi-wan asked Anakin, a faint smile slipping through.

"Never," He answered, smirking.

On top of the third building, Mia walked to the edge, looking around. Around her was just a giant maze of buildings that faintly reminded her of Tatooine in a way. They ranged from one story tall to five and in no clear order. Something caught her eye, a little bit of light she might not have noticed were it not for the fact that it was moving steadily away. Squinting, she realized there were figures following the light. How had the other team gotten flashlights?

Furrowing her eyebrows, Mia looked for somewhere to get a higher vantage point. Three buildings over was a similar building to the one she was standing on, but this one had a water tower. That wasn't what made it suspicious though, it was the faint patch of something lighter, almost silver. Frowning, she moved towards the far edge of the building. Below was a two story building, a small ally of five meters between them. Backing away, Mia burst out running and jumped over the edge, clearing the ally and landing on the flat roof of the building and rolling forward. Running, she jumped over another small ally to the next building ahead before running to the face of the third story of the building. Jutting out of the walls were metal pipes.

"Oh, those were just made for climbing," She muttered to herself as she took a closer look.

They ends were jagged and sharp, showing signs of rust. Standing below, she jumped and grabbed hold of a sturdier looking poll, swinging her legs to propel herself up.

When she was little, even before Obi-wan became a knight and Anakin came to the temple, she figured out that she loved to climb. It didn't matter what, if she could climb it she would. As time moved on and she got stronger she learned she also loved doing flips and flying through the air.

Standing levelly on the pole, she jumped to a larger piece of piping and used the momentum to drag herself up and onto the pole, her stomach pressed into the cold metal for a moment before she lifted one leg over and straddled it. Standing slowly, she jumped and lifted herself onto the edge of the roof. Ahead of her was the rusted over water tower and, hanging from the ladder of it was a small bag with reflective material. Grabbing it, she opened it and looking inside.

In it were comms and flashlights.

"That's how they got them," Mia mumbled as she stood and looked around the compound.

The other team was no longer in sight but she knew they were heading to the far corner of the compound, probably figuring it was best to keep two sides covered by the fence.

The others watched patiently as Mia came back, something looped over her shoulder.

"I brought a present," Mia told them in a sing-song voice as she tossed the bag at them.

It was Taro who caught it. As he opened it a grin dominated his face.

"Flashlights and comms," He laughed, taking one of each before passing it around.

"This placed must be rigged with these, little packs to give us advantages. The other team already knows, they have flashlights and probably comms too," Mia explained.

"Where'd you find this?" Anakin questioned, taking a flashlight and a comm. for himself.

Mia grinned, "While I was up there I saw it tied to a water tower on a nearby building. I also noticed the other team moving towards the far corner of the compound."

Obi-wan sighed, "Well, it seems as though there are only ten comms and flashlights," He explained.

"Well, we're going to have some people guarding the flag anyway, they'll probably only need one of each," Svurue spoke up.

"That just leaves the matter of where to hide the flag," Obi-wan reminded them, his fingers latched around his chin like he still thought he had a beard.

They looked around each other. "There's the water tower," Mia suggested.

"It's a bit out in the open," Anakin disputed.

"What about inside the buildings, they all look the same, nobody would really notice," Taro suggested.

Obi-wan nodded, "Smaller quarters, if you're ambushed you'll at least have some sort cover," He agreed.

The Force faded again, the lack of its presence sending chills through the three Jedi. Anakin turned to Mia and handed her his flashlight, motioning for her to light it.

"What's wrong?" Yut-iva questioned, noticing the strange tension between the three Jedi.

Anakin translated the question for Mia's sake before answering it, both verbally and in sign, "_The ysalmari are making it hard to sense the Force_," Anakin explained.

"Making it hard for Mia to hear," Taro realized, remembering the random day during training when Mia had complained about never getting to go above ground. He'd asked her why that was and she explained to him and the rest of the recruits that she was deaf.

Obi-wan pinched the bridge of his nose to keep from scolding Taro for speaking about her like she wasn't there. Now wasn't the time though.

"That's why I should be guarding the flag," Mia spoke up, surprising them.

"But you're great in a fight, we could use you," Taro spoke up.

She narrowed her eyes at Anakin when he signed that for her. "I'm a risk though, I won't hear or sense anyone sneaking up behind me, I can't get directions without having to stop and pull a flashlight out. I'm best placed guarding the flag with someone."

"She has a point," Obi-wan agreed.

Anakin sighed in agreement, not liking it.

"So, who wants to guard it with me?" Mia questioned with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"_I will_," Anakin spoke up,

She narrowed her eyes at him, "No, you'll lead them to get the other team's flag," She told him flatly.

"_Nobody but Obi-wan and I know how to sign_," He reminded her.

"Which is why I read lips," She reminded him before silently signing, "_Stop thinking like my boyfriend and start thinking like a Jedi. I'll be fine_."

Obi-wan looked away, smirking with amusement as Anakin tried to silently rebuttal in sign language.

"What are they saying?" Rele questioned, looking confused.

Obi-wan chuckled dryly, "They're just having a bit of a domestic," He answered.

"I wish my parents could have silent domestics," Taro commented dryly, thinking of home and how much he missed it.

Anakin huffed and glared at Taro for that. "_Really, now of all times?_" He spoke up, irritation dripping in both his voice and the movements in his hands.

"Hey, I'm not the one having a domestic in the middle of the mission," Taro reminded him as he held his hands up in surrender with a sly grin that reached from ear to ear.

Mia's eyebrows furrowed. "_Taro just made a stupid comment about domestics_," He explained, "_Remind me again why they send Jedi to planets with the one animal that can suppress the Force?_"

"_Because nobody would think to look for us here_," She answered, her eyes softening, "_Now, tell them you're going to lead the mission with Obi-wan and leave me with the flag._"

Groaning, Anakin turned to look at everyone behind him, "So apparently I'm leading the mission with Obi-wan."

"Oh, now we know who wears the pants in this relationship," Rele joked, laughing.

Svurue smacked him upside the head, "Keep quiet, the other team could be anywhere," He scolded, his voice hushed.

"We need to get out of the open," Obi-wan spoke up before walking so he was directly in the line of Mia's flashlight, "Mia, take Taro and Yut-iva and go find somewhere to hide the flag."

Mia saluted with a smirk, "Sir yes sir," Mia agreed with a bit of sass in her voice before she walked away, rifle raised at the ready, the flag hanging from her belt loop. "Come on boys."

Yut-iva and Taro followed, rifles raised as they walked off further into the compound. Anakin bit his lip, mildly annoyed that Obi-wan had picked Yut-iva to go with Mia. He knew it was irrational but Yut-iva was a bit too friendly to Mia, if you asked him. Obi-wan raised his eyebrow at his former Padawan, noticing his irritation.

"Now Mia said they're gathering in the far corner, let's split into groups of two and head out. Keep your comms on and your flashlights off," Obi-wan instructed.

"Wait, why flashlights off?" One of them, Markl questioned, looking confused.

"Light will attract attention, that's probably how Mia spotted them," He explained and they started to break off into groups, "Keep an eye out for those goodie bags, they could come in handy."

Not too far ahead of them Mia was leading the group, sticking to the shadows and checking behind every corner. Suddenly the Force started to come back. Stopping, Mia looked around.

"I like here," She decided, "No ysalmari around."

Approaching the door, Mia opened it slowly and they walked in, rifles at the ready. Once the room was cleared, they took a chance to look around the small, space rooms for a good hiding place. Taro was walking around when he heard the floor boards creak. Lifting up his boot, he stomped on the floor beneath him, noticing the distinctly hollow sound.

"Guys, come over here," He called through the building.

Mia and Yut-iva walked in slowly, looking at him curiously. Reaching down, he pulled out a floor board, revealing a small space perfect for hiding the flag.

"Good work Taro," Mia praised as she reached for the comm. "Obi-wan, we found a hiding spot for the flag."

"Good work," Obi-wan spoke through the comm. line, unknowingly echoing Mia's previous statement, "I take it you found a place free of ysalmari."

"Yeah, for the time being," Mia replied as she looked out the window, "But you know animals, they tend to come and go as they please."

Walking out the room, she approached the door that lead to the roof, "This building has roof access," She mentioned, "Mind if I take a look?"

"By all means," Obi-wan replied, the sounds of an amused grin floating through the comm. line.

Opening the door, Mia motioned for Yut-iva to follow her out into the open. On top of the third story building, she had a decent enough view of the compound. There weren't any signs of movement in the far corner.

"I don't see any signs of movement, they might have gone inside one of the buildings," Mia spoke through the comm. before suggesting: "I could go scouting."

"That's a negative, guarding the flag is most important right now," Obi-wan told her.

She sighed, "Aye, aye captain," She muttered.

They moved inside, keeping an eye on the alleys below through the windows, waiting for attack.

Across the compound, the five teams neared the far corner, looking for signs of the other team. Obi-wan was beginning to think that perhaps Mia was correct in her assumption that the other team had hidden out in another building. He kept his guard up, ready for a surprise ambush.

Sighing, Obi-wan opened the comm. line, "Any signs of movement?" He asked.

Four other negatives followed.

"I've got something," Mia spoke up, "We've got a scout running from rooftop to rooftop, just him though, nobody else in sight. I've got Taro and Yut-iva waiting in a backroom with no windows so he won't see any signs of movement."

Nodding, Obi-wan shook his head, "Everyone fall back, if there's a scout we don't want to be seen," He ordered.

Moving back with Markl, they hid behind an empty dumpster. They needed to get the flag while they still had the cover of darkness, otherwise it would be easier to be spotted.

"Mia, have you got eyes on him?" Anakin asked through the comm.

"Not at the moment considering I'm trying to keep from being seen," Mia replied back, sass dripping in her tone.

Obi-wan sighed, "Anakin, try and get on the roof, maybe he'll fall back to their base and give us a lead," He suggested.

"I don't know if I can do that," Anakin replied, his voice so quiet Obi-wan almost hadn't heard him, "I've just spotted a team of three heading my way."

Shots were fired, the sounds echoing through both the alleyways of the compound and the comms. Anakin was calling for backup. Getting up from behind the dumpster, Markl and Obi-wan ran down the narrow pathway towards where they heard the commotion. They reached a wider road and ahead of them, across the street was Anakin, crouching behind a building as blaster fire peppered the walls and ground around him. Looking around the corner Obi-wan saw three men, standing behind walls and crouched behind crates. Rifle raised, he slid just into view and started firing at the gunman closest to Anakin, knocking him out easily. Anakin turned to them, seeming to just notice their presence before turning and firing at the man behind the crate, firing three times and missing.

"It would seem your aptitude for combat does not apply to blaster rifles," Obi-wan spoke over the sounds of blaster fire before reaching out and firing at the man behind the crates, the second laser knocking him out.

"For someone who calls blasters uncivilized, you sure do know how to use one," Anakin mumbled, a little irritated before firing at the last person, hiding behind the corner of the building, sending him to the ground for a short break.

He cast a glance at Svurue laying on the ground beside him, stunned when they'd first been ambushed. "Hang in there," He told his companion reassuringly, "Roffer said the effects would only last five minutes."

"That's assuming he was only hit once," Obi-wan reminded him, "He didn't mention what would happen if we were shot multiple times."

Anakin rolled his eyes, "I see you're in a good mood," He muttered before pulling Svurue over his shoulder, "Come on, we need to get out of there before the others get moving or we'll get caught in another fight."

Nodding in agreement, Obi-wan motioned for Anakin to follow him down the alley he and Markl had appeared from.

"I take it the fighting stopped," Rele spoke up.

"More or less," Obi-wan replied, "Does it ever really stop?" He added almost challengingly after a moment of internal intellectual debate.

Rele scoffed, "It does when dinner comes," He replied.

"We're retreating for the moment, Svurue was hit, we're getting away before the other teammates wake up as well," He informed his teammates.

"Was that because Anakin is a terrible shot?" Mia questioned over the line teasingly.

Anakin rolled his eyes but remained quiet. He was starting to feel the suppressing forces of the ysalmari weigh down on him, making the Force almost deadly quiet. It almost hurt being so cut off from it.

Across the line Mia sighed, suddenly feeling for Anakin and Obi-wan's Force signatures dissipate like they'd never even been there. Standing from her place crouched by the window, she walked towards the ladder leading to the roof.

"I'm getting a look on the roof, see if anyone's coming our way," She mentioned as she slid open the hatch and climbed through.

Standing on the flat roof, she walked towards the edge, noticing that the sky was starting to get lighter. Looking around, she searched for any signs of movement in darkness that got lighter and lighter with every ticking minute. She hated waiting, more than anything, but unfortunately that was necessary. She frowned as she saw three figures crossing a street, one of them unnaturally large.

"Hey, would any of you happen to be carrying something big and bulky?" She questioned across the comm. line.

She saw one of them still, "Why do you ask?" Obi-wan questioned. His tone was confirmation enough.

"Because I can see you, we're about two hundred feet behind you," She answered before something else caught her eye. A little spotlight of flashlight darting across the buildings. "You've got a group heading your way too. Another group of three."

Anakin swore across the comm. line, making Mia smirk as she crouched down on the roof. "My recommendation, two of you cause a distraction and draw them away from here. I'm assuming whatever you're carrying is a person so I recommend hiding."

Suddenly the dark shadow became two distinctly smaller shadows, making Mia smile at her correct assumption. The next moment blaster fire broke out and the four shadows scattered as the three people from the other team approached. Her teammates started running down an alleyway, disappearing from view, the other three following. Standing up, she walked back to the hatch and climbed down the ladder into the ladder.

"We just had a close call," She told Taro and Yut-iva as she walked in.

She stilled, feeling the Force fade away. "Shit," She swore under her breath as she watched Taro and Yut-iva walk into the hallway, their lips moving.

"Yeah, we heard shots being fired," Taro replied, his voice silent to her.

"Keep an eye out for anyone from the other team but don't let yourselves be seen or fire at them unless they move to search this building, blaster fire will only attract their attention here," She told them.

They looked at her strangely, probably because her voice was slurring from not being able to hear herself. She sighed, "Ysalmari," She explained, one word getting everything across.

Taro turned to Yut-iva, "What do you suppose would happen if we hit the little lizard with a stun laser?"

Mia rolled her eyes despite the fact she only caught half of that and walked past them into the room where they'd his the flag. It had the best view of the road heading towards the far corner, where the members of the other team were likely to appear from. Still, it wasn't definite.

"Taro, do me a favor and go into the next room, we need eyes on the other side of the building," She ordered.

She didn't hear his response but she knew he'd follow her instructions, he was loyal like that. As a Jedi they trusted her judgment because, unlike them, she'd fought in a war. Somehow, without her hearing or the Force at her side, she felt Yut-iva move behind her. She didn't face him immediately, instead taking a moment to notice the gold that rose straight ahead. After a moment of peace, she turned around to her teammate.

"Has anything come in through the comms?" She inquired.

"Just calls for backup," He answered, "Your dear boyfriend is having a hard time with the other team."

Mia rolled his eyes but smirked nonetheless.

"So I've been meaning to ask you, and I suppose this is a bad time, but how did you two get together. I thought Jedi were anti-attachment, like celibate and all that." He looked at her thoughtfully, probably wondering if she'd really answer him.

Mia snorted at the whole celibate comment, "Hardly," She muttered, "Many a Jedi have had their fancy ladies, if you know what I mean."

Yut-iva blushed for a moment, a faint tint of pink she almost missed on his dark skin. "Alright, so not celibate but I'm assuming you weren't exactly allowed a boyfriend."

"No, I wasn't, attachment and all that," Mia agreed, "It didn't exactly stop me."

"When did you and Skywalker get together?" Yut-iva questioned.

She thought about it carefully, "I was about fifteen, he was sixteen," Mia answered, "It sort of happened in backwards order though."

She didn't elaborate on that and turned to face the window. Her eyes widened as she noticed someone from the other team walking their way. Crouching down in one swift movement, she motioned for Yut-iva to do the same before pressing a finger to her lips. She looked through the open doors at Taro and tapped the floor with her hand to get his attention. He turned and crouched down, realizing what he wanted her to do. Yut-iva and Taro suddenly tensed and Mia knew the other team was planning to search this building. She could feel the vibrations through the floor as they went upstairs. Rifles raised, Mia and Yut-iva moved towards the door and shot the girl closest to them. They didn't even know her name, just that she'd been in the last batch of recruits before them. Taro shot the next person, he fell on top of the girl, stunned.

Yut-iva was holding the comm. to his mouth, calling for reinforcement. Mia supposed at least they had the benefit of a hidden compartment hiding their flag. Even if they were stunned, it would take the other team a few minutes to find it. Mia ducked away from a shot aimed at her shoulder from a large man hiding behind the banister of the staircase. Leaning out with her hand gun, she fired two shots. He tensed and slumped forward on the banister. She looked around to Taro and Yut-iva, both of them not hit. They relaxed, seeming to think that it was over for now.

"We need to buy time," She told them, "Get those three into the backroom, strip them of their weapons and comms and then barricade the door."

Yut-iva tapped her shoulder to get her to look at him, "Barricade it with what exactly?" His lips moved slowly, almost purposely slowly so she'd catch it. It annoyed her a bit because that actually made it harder to read lips.

She thought of it for a moment, "Take care of the first two, I'll see about barricading," She told them.

Standing, Yut-iva and Taro moved towards the three soldiers and lifted one of the guys up and carted him towards the back room.

Mia walked into the other room before calling out to the two others, "Tell the others to focus their efforts on getting that flag and that we'll buy them time," She called across the room.

Most of the rooms were bare, no more than an empty crate or a few screws lying around. Walking towards the crate on the ground floor, she kicked a board in before plying it out, splinters flying through the air. Taking it, she moved upstairs to the back room and jammed it under the door. At the same time the bubble of Force suppression moved away, making the silence turn to muffled voices before becoming clear.

"I don't know about you but I could go for a drink right now," Taro muttered.

"Amen to that," Mia laughed.

They turned to her in surprise before smiling, "The Force is with you, I take it," Yut-iva joked.

Nodding, Mia moved towards the room access and climbed the ladder, she wanted to see if others were coming. Standing on the edge in broad daylight, she frowned as she noticed more coming, six more. Rushing down the roof access, she took the safety off her hand blaster.

"We've got more on their way," She told the others as she hid behind the door way of the room they'd hidden the flag in.

"Same as before?" Taro suggested, standing behind the doorway of the room across the small hall, Yut-iva right behind him. "At least that way it's only one at a time."

She nodded, waiting in anticipation as the door to their building was slowly in. Near silent footsteps tread through the ground on the first floor, two sets of stairs below. Mia glanced out the doorway through the banister, waiting for the first person to near. One guy, narrow build and not particularly tall, approached the third floor, alone. Mia motioned for Taro and Yut-iva to let her take this one first. She let him get near the door she was hiding behind, his hand blaster raised. Stepping through the door, she gripped the hand holding the blaster and jammed her elbow into the side of his head. Two sets of footsteps rushed up the stairs. Wrapping her arm around his neck, she used his body as a shield and shot at the two rushing up the stairs. They fell against the wall, sliding down it to the ground, stunned and immobilized. She noticed the stiffness of the man she'd had her arm around and how he was no longer struggling. Letting him go, she hid behind the door as three more neared. They crouched behind the banister and fired at Taro as he stepped out from behind the door to get a clear shot. He stiffened and tilted towards his left. Yut-iva grabbed him and slowly lowered him to the ground before he could hurt himself. Mia picked up her rifle and fired at them before hiding behind the door as more shots peppered the wall behind her. One set of footsteps continued up the stairs. Shots were fired before she could react and two bodies fell to the ground. Two sets of steps went up the stairs. Turning, she fired at one but the other shot her. The sensation of the stun was cold and Mia fell to her right, her eyes closing for just a moment before it took full effect. Unable to open them, she listened for the sounds of the guy who'd shot her searching the room she'd been guarding. It was bare but then he stopped and crouched down and opened the floor board, pulling out the flag.

"I have the flag," He said across the comm. line his team shared, laughing with excitement.

The effects didn't wear off till after most of the other team was gone and right after Yut-iva and Taro had gotten up and gone over to her.

"God that fucking sucks," Taro swore, "The stun part, I mean. The flag part sucks too."

Mia opened her eyes the second she was able and sat up slowly, groaning. "Did anyone else feel cold and just a little bit nauseous?" She asked them.

"I hear it's different for everyone," The other guy, the last one she'd shot, stated, "For me it's cold but it also itches."

He looked at her and smiling charmingly, "I'm Abl," He introduced himself.

"Mia," She introduced herself, shaking his hand despite the fact her body still felt stiff. "This is Taro and Yut-iva."

He smiled at them, "Good game, good hiding place too," He added, "Last time we played we hid the flag in a closet, not our brightest move."

They stood up slowly and picked up their rifles and guns before heading down the stairs and making their way towards the ship where Roffer awaited their return. Mia, Taro and Yut-iva jumped in surprise when Roffer's voice suddenly echoed across the compound, telling everyone that the game was other and the graduated recruits had one. Mia stilled and looked over her shoulder as Anakin walked around the corner with Obi-wan and Svurue not far behind. He stopped the second he saw her for just a moment before smiling and walking towards her and pressing a kiss to her lips. They fell into step, looking tired.

"_Is it weird that I'm __really__ looking forward getting below ground again?_" Mia asked him suddenly, emphasizing her words by the jerkiness of her left hand as her right hand held onto her rifle.

"_I don't think it's the confines of subterranean living you're missing, just the Force field_," Anakin replied with a wry smirk. "_And it's not just you_."

"_So I got stunned today_," Mia mentioned.

Anakin shuddered at the thought, "Ugh," He muttered aloud before signing, "_It feels awful, I don't even want to think about it_."

Mia looked at him curiously, "_Really, I hear it's different for everyone_," She told him, "_What was yours like?_"

"_My feet were burning, my skin felt hot but my insides felt cold and I felt like puking_," He explained.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as worry bled into her eyes, "_You must have had an extreme reaction_," She signed slowly, the movements in her hands so faint she might as well have been whispering.

"_I'm just glad we don't have to do this again_," Anakin signed, rubbing his eyes tiredly, "_Well, not until we're done with basic training at least. Hopefully it'll be different when we go up against the next batch of recruits_."

They reached the ship and filed in with everyone else, gripping the support rails and the straps hanging overhead. The engine started, the force of it rattling the ship before it had reached the air. Anakin closed his eyes, wanting nothing more than a good night's rest, seeing as his had been cut short. The ship lifted slowly, taking them back to base.

* * *

It didn't really add much plotline wise but it really wasn't meant to. It was more a bit of fun for me rather than trying to make the plot more complicated or please the readers. It was just something I wanted to try and I'm really glad I did because I'm really happy with it. There are parts I didn't add in, simply for the sake of it not getting to long but I am really happy with this one. Let me know what you think. Until then, I'm going to bed.


	16. We Stand By Our Decisions

Oh my freaking God, I finally finished this chapter. How long has it been since I posted Chapter 15? I just checked, 16 days. (Weirdly coincidental considering it's chapter 16) I'm sorry about that, just a bit of writers block at the end.

* * *

December 9th, Four years post Galactic Empire

After now and again Anakin, Obi-wan and Mia would spar with each other after training, just to get back into form for when they finished training. Today Mia was too tired to spar with them so it was just Anakin and Obi-wan. They'd been sparring for over an hour now and they were starting to get tired, beyond tired. As they circled each other, lightsabers raised, Anakin wiped the sweat beading at his forehead as it threatened to slide into his eyes. Obi-wan took the split second of distraction to make his move and swung his lightsaber in a downward arc. Anakin had barely a second to block and step back. They were at it again, slashing and parrying. Anakin made an upper cut aimed for Obi-wan's right shoulder. His move was deflected as Obi-wan stepped back before taking two steps forward and swiping out horizontally at Anakin's abdomen, knowing he'd step back from the attack. He pushed his former Padawan back with a series of attacks meant to overwhelm him. He suspected that Anakin wasn't fighting his best because his mind was elsewhere. It had been that way for the last two days and Anakin seemed to be particularly tense and a bit irritated with both Obi-wan and Yut-iva. Obi-wan had his suspicions as to why that was but he wanted Anakin to come to him about it.

Shaking his head out of it, Obi-wan pushed forward, one attack after the other. Anakin was better than this, he should have found a way to regain the upper hand by now. Swinging his lightsaber hard, he practically knocked Anakin's weapon out of his hand. Taking the half second of Anakin's surprise, Obi-wan dropped into a spin kick, sweeping Anakin off his feet. He hit the ground hard, landing on his back. He didn't move to get up right away so Obi-wan crouched down next to him.

"You know, you're normally better than this," He reminded his former Padawan.

Groaning, Anakin sat up and scrubbed his hand over his face tiredly before his fingers wound themselves through his hair.

"You've been rather out of sorts the last few days," Obi-wan added, hoping Anakin would come to him about his problem. There was a time when that was an easy thing for him to do but now Anakin was slow to trust and rare to opened up about anything—save maybe to Mia.

When he didn't say anything, Obi-wan stood and offered him his hand. Anakin looked at it for a short moment before looking away and standing on his own. Passing Obi-wan, he moved towards the exit, silently deciding he'd had enough sparring.

"You know, sooner or later you'll have to confront this," Obi-wan called after Anakin as he walked towards the door.

Anakin groaned, "Confront what?" He demanded tensely, wishing Obi-wan would leave it.

"What's been bothering you, not just the last two days but the last few weeks as well," Obi-wan insisted.

Anakin held his breath for a moment, silently wishing Obi-wan wasn't so observant and would just drop it. Letting his breath out in a sigh, Anakin turned around slowly, "You had to pair Mia up with Yut-iva."

Obi-wan sighed, disappointed to see he'd been correct in his assumptions. "I paired him and Taro up with Mia because they were close to her, the three of them get along well and work together wonderfully. I picked them to work with Mia because she was comfortable around them and they were so with her."

He sighed again, "And I don't see why it is you're jealous of Yut-iva," He added.

"I don't like how friendly he is with her," Anakin yelled, losing his patience, "I'm not blind, every time I look his way he's chatting with Mia, casually wrapping his arm over her shoulder or sitting down next to her at lunch."

Anakin turned suddenly as a flare of hot anger ran through the bond he shared with Mia. He saw her standing at the door, her eyes wide with surprise for a fraction of a second before they narrowed and got cold. Turning, she walked back out, the door slamming shut behind her. Running towards the door, Anakin rushed into the hall and looked around wildly for Mia. Spotting her stalking off down the hall, he ran and grabbed her hand to get her to stop and talk to him. The second his hand grasped her cold fingers she jerked her hand out of reach.

"Don't touch me," She growled, taking a step away from him.

Anakin opened his mouth to apologize but Mia cut him off, "You don't get it do you? By you being jealous, you're proving that, not only do you not trust Yut-iva, you don't trust me and that is not acceptable."

"That's not true, of course I trust you," He insisted.

"No, you really don't," Mia argued, eyes watering from anger and hurt, "If you did you wouldn't even worry about some other guy being near me because you'd know I'd never cheat on you or have feelings for _anyone_ but you."

She looked away, biting her lip in frustration, "Did you even stop for a moment to consider that maybe we're just friends and that he has no intentions for me at all?" She asked him, her voice raising for a moment with anger.

Deciding she'd had enough of this, she turned and walked away, wanting to just be alone. "Luke and Leia wanted me to get you for dinner," She mentioned over her shoulder.

"Mia!" He called after her, feeling desperate.

"_Just leave me alone_," Mia ordered through the bond. It didn't echo loudly through his mind or even sound particularly harsh, just sad and soft.

Groaning, Anakin leaned heavily against the wall, realizing how bad he'd messed up on this. Fingers lacing through his hair out of frustration, Anakin wondered how he could possibly make this up to Mia. He heard Obi-wan approach him but he didn't open his eyes to look at his former Master, already knowing what he'd see—sympathy, understanding, a touch of disappointment for not trusting Mia more.

"I screwed up big time," Anakin muttered, head bowed down.

"So it would seem," Obi-wan agreed.

Anakin released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, letting it all out in one whoosh so that it sounded more like a huff than a sigh. "You know, most girls would be flattered to know their boyfriend was jealous," He shook his head at the absurd thought, "But Mia isn't like most girls."

"You should talk to her about it, sit down and open up about it calmly," Obi-wan advised, "But give her some time first."

He laughed in response but it was bitter and hallow, "Yeah," He agreed.

Further down the hall, turning right, Mia stopped and wiped away a tear as it streamed down her cheek like rain on a window. Taking a deep, shuddering breath that felt painful in her chest, she shook her head and walked down the hall, not sure where she was going. She wasn't worried about leaving the twins alone, Svurue's daughter was watching them again and Anakin was bound to go there soon anyway.

When Anakin got back to the apartment Luke and Leia were sitting at the old coffee table with Aly'a, coloring. He smiled softly at the sight. Aly'a was the first to look up, her eyebrows furrowed immediately and a second later she frowned.

"Where's Mia?" She asked him.

Luke and Leia looked up at their father suddenly, also noting the distinct lack of Mia. "Wanted to talk to Obi-wan about something," He lied. Turning to the twins, he forced a smile, "Ready for dinner."

They nodded excitedly and stood up immediately. Aly'a stood up as well and hugged them both before walking out the apartment with a smile. He took the twins to get dinner, lingering in hopes that, when he got back, he'd find Mia in the apartment. He even took Luke and Leia on a walk—well, run for them—through the base so they could blow off some steam, hoping to tire them out. When they got back Leia mumbled something about being tired while Luke just yawned, both of them going to their room without any direction. Anakin tucked them in and read them a bedtime story, signing with his words to help Luke's sign language vocabulary. They were out before he was even halfway through the short story. Smiling gently, he stood up and kissed Luke's forehead before crouching down to the bottom bunk and kissing Leia's forehead. Tiptoeing out of the room, he turned off the light and gently shut the door. Taking a deep, calming breath, he walked into the bedroom he and Mia shared. He found her sitting on the end of the bed, staring off into space thoughtfully.

"Mia," He murmured.

She turned to him for a moment, grey eyes sad and tired, before looking away. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, close to her, he took another deep breath as he figured out what to say.

"_I'm sorry_," He spoke up finally, his hands moving slowly, "_You're right, I should have trusted you more. I do, I know you'd never cheat on me but, for some reason a part of me's still afraid you'll finally look at me and decide you don't love me anymore_."

She turned to him and suddenly punched him in the shoulder. The pain hurt but he figured he deserved that and probably more. "_You're an idiot_," She signed, shifting so she was facing him head on, "_I understand you worry about that sometimes but you should know bette_r," She whispered.

Anakin nodded silently, agreeing.

"_I promise you that is never going to happen_," She reassured him before taking his hands in hers. She flipped them and traced the lines on his palms absentmindedly. After a moment Mia looked up at him, her grey eyes searching his blue eyes, "I have never stopped loving you and I know I never will."

He smiled at the conviction in her voice. He took his hands out of hers and lifted them to cradle in her face, "I have never, and will never, stop loving you," Anakin promised.

Her lips twitched in an almost sad smile before they lifted into something cheerier. Leaning forward, she kissed him suddenly. Anakin responded by leaning forward and deepening the kiss as his hands slid down her arms and gripped her elbows, pulling her closer. Her hands gripped his arms urgently before in one graceful, sudden movement Mia lifted her leg so she was straddling his lap, winding her hands through his hair as his fingers slid up her shirt, his nails gently scraping the skin of her back. Moving one hand away, Anakin started undoing the buttons at the front of her loose black shirt before sliding it off. Mia pushed him down so he was laying on his back and leaned forward so they were inches apart, their short, heaving breath tickling the other's cheeks. Her hair fell to one side, curtaining their faces and gently brushing against Anakin's shoulders. They kissed again, passionate and slow.

December 26th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Their basic training was winding down now. Now what remained was deciding a branch to begin the specialized training. Today Roffer had walked into the gym and explained that we were going to sit down with Commander Marn and a few of the other important people on base, including the mysterious group of five that sometimes watched their training. They sat in a small room, waiting to be called into the next room. One by one they were called in, sometimes leaving ten minutes later and sometimes not leaving until well past an hour. The door opened again and their attention snapped to Taro and Commander Marn. Taro smiled shyly and left like the others had, probably going to get food or go to his quarters to relax.

"Anakin Skywalker," Marn called, smiling at the Jedi.

Standing slowly, he followed the commander in without looking back as anxiety crawled its way through his body. He wasn't sure what to expect. Mia and Obi-wan exchanged a look, wondering what would happen next. They both knew Anakin wanted to be in the field, leading missions and taking down the Empire from the frontline. Training for that was two and a half months but they'd heard rumors that Jedi sometimes skipped through secondary training because they already had the skills.

Anakin walked through the door into the spacious room. It could have held everyone on base and still have a little space left over. Ahead of him was a long table, all the important people of the Alliance sitting on one side, looking at him expectantly. In front of the table was a small podium, almost like one you might see in a courtroom. It reminded Anakin of the one time he'd had to stand in front of a group of Jedi Masters. They were a committee that worked alongside the Jedi Council, specifically for the purpose of evaluating a Jedi. It had been after a failed mission, the mission that almost stripped him of his status as a Jedi. The sight of it made the anxiety crawl up his throat.

Sitting down at the podium, he looked at each and every one of them.

"Master Skywalker, you have a rather unusual case," One woman, dressed in formal robes with her hair up in some complicated hairstyle, spoke. She reminded him a bit of Padmé when she got dressed for a Senate meeting.

Those words were something he only heard when they were directed at Mia.

He supposed he had an unusual case too, now. He'd gone to the dark side, he'd destroyed the Jedi Order and he'd helped start the Empire. After that he disappeared, struggling out from under the haze of the dark side, away for the darkness that haunted him, daring him to just turn around, if only for a second. He'd gone into hiding while the Empire searched for their most wanted. Then he had the nerve to go to the Rebel Alliance, wanting to take down the very thing he'd started.

Yeah, he definitely had an unusual case.

"You file doesn't really elaborate why we even allowed you into the Alliance, let alone why we didn't just reveal your actions to the rest of the Rebels and let them decide what they want to do with you," She continued, pinning him down with a cold, evaluating look, "Tell me, why is it we trusted you enough to let you in?"

He swallowed thickly, "When one of your leaders found out I wanted to join he had me," He trailed off, not sure how to properly put it. "Tested."

"Tested," She repeated, dubious, "Tested how?"

"I was put through a series of lie detector tests," Anakin explained, "Truth serum, had wires attached to me to monitor my reactions in case I lied. You even put me in a machine to monitor my brain activity to see if I was lying when I said I left the Empire the day it started and that I wasn't here to spy on you."

His voice held a little bitterness to it, mostly because he hated not being trusted. Swallowing it down, Anakin continued, hearing the conviction in his own voice, "The only reason I'm here is because I regret my decisions that night. I want nothing more to bring the Empire down because it is the right thing to do."

They nodded slowly, "And now that you're here, now that you've gotten this far, where do you want to go from here?" One man asked his voice slow and deep.

"I want to be in the field. I want to lead missions and fight for the Alliance because that's what feels right. I want to be out there, bringing the Empire down piece by piece until there's nothing left of it," Anakin answered, looking all of them in the eyes.

"Secondary training for the field is two and a half months," Another man informed him, "But, considering your extensive experience in combat, that might be shortened."

The men and women sitting at the table looked between each other as they considered it, "We had a Jedi here about two years back; he chose to go into the field. We tested him in a few simulations to evaluate their skills and passed him through secondary training. Is that acceptable to you?"

Anakin looked at them in surprise, not expecting it to be that easy. He opened his mouth to respond but took a moment, knowing he'd probably stammer the "Um, y-yeah," that had echoed through his head for a moment.

"Yes," He answered after a split second.

They nodded and wrote something down in their notes. "Alright Master Skywalker, report to Commander Marn after your training tomorrow for the evaluation tests."

He nodded and they sent him out. As he walked out he noticed Mia and Obi-wan looked at him closely, wanting to know what happened. He wasn't allowed to talk to them until after they'd spoken to the committee in the room behind him. Stepping out into the hall of the base, he decided he wanted a long walk, he'd probably be back by the time Mia was done with her evaluation anyway.

Obi-wan was called second. He walked into the spacious room with its high ceilings and concrete walls and floor, sitting down at the podium before the committee of sorts without even being asked.

"Master Kenobi," One woman spoke. From where she sat, almost exactly in the middle, he assumed she was more or less the leader of them. Or, at least, tended to speak for them. "It's lovely to make your acquaintance. Let us be quick in this. Have you chosen where you would like to be in this Alliance?"

"Ideally I'd like to help lead the Alliance, plan missions and strategies," He answered simply, looking from face to face.

Some of them were senators or delegates of some sort, or at least they were when the Republic was still standing. He supposed they wanted to bring the Republic back but he didn't think that, after the Empire fell, that the Republic would ever come back. It was cracked and rotting when the war started and after the war, well, there wasn't anything left of it to fix.

But those were thoughts for another time.

"Normally, for those who want to achieve that sort of position, we put them through training to be in the field. Then, after a year, they can request to be evaluated for such a position," One older gentleman explained.

"That will be perfectly acceptable," He replied, having expected no less.

They nodded and looked at their notes.

"Master Kenobi, two days from now you are to report to Commander Marn for an evaluation test. That will determine where you start in your secondary training," The woman who spoke before told him. "That is all."

Nodding, Obi-wan stood and bowed respectfully and walked out the door. His plans were to get some food and then go to his quarters to rest.

Mia was the second to last to be called. Standing, she pulled the back of her shirt down, a nervous habit. She wasn't sure what she'd get or if she'd get either of her choices. Walking into the large room, almost a greeting hall if you asked her, she shivered under the cold current circulating through the air. Sitting down at the podium, she watched as they looked through their papers. Finally, they looked up at her.

"Tell me dear, do you need any sort of translator?" The woman asked her, sympathy in her voice.

It made her a little sick almost. She didn't like being seen as helpless and if she wanted to get put in both the field and in medicine she had to get them past their idea of her being helpless.

"No actually, I'm quite alright," She answered politely, forcing a smile.

"Miss Roslyn, how is it that, being the only girl in your class, you're topping the scores of the men training with you and hold the rank of number two, just under Skywalker?" One man asked her, his mustache twitching with his words.

Mia smiled, a real smile, because she liked being acknowledged as more than capable. "I'm a bit of an overachiever," She joked, "Jedi training helps too."

They nodded, "And, where is it you'd like to be in the Alliance?" Another man asked her, curiosity prominent in his voice.

"I have some basic medical training," Mia started.

"Says here that you had almost enough credits in your Jedi classes to branch out in that particular field as a doctor," The woman who'd spoken before brought up, "Far more than basic."

She nodded, "I could have become a doctor but then the Jedi Council would keep me at the Temple and I wouldn't be out in the field, which I love. And in any event, by then the war had broken out and they Knighted me early so I could become a General," She explained.

"I'd like to complete my medical training but I'd also like to be in the field," Mia explained.

They nodded slowly, looking a little lost. Was it unheard of to request two different branches of secondary training?

"We could always use another medic in the field," One man, on the far end of the table, spoke up.

They nodded slowly, "Master Rosslyn, we'll put you through medical training, get you those extra credits and then we'll see where to go on putting you in the field," The man with the mustache told her.

She smiled and stood up, sensing she was dismissed, and smiled before leaving. The last recruit, Svurue, smiled up at her before standing to go and see the committee himself. Sighing with relief, Mia walked out the door. She found Anakin leaning against the wall of the door, clearly waiting for her.

"How'd it go?" Anakin asked her, looking tired.

"They're going to have me complete my medical training and then they're going to see about putting me in the field," Mia explained, "You?"

He sighed, "I'm getting evaluated tomorrow," He answered.

Mia's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Evaluate you?" She repeated, uncertain.

"Yeah, I have to go through this simulation and then they decide what they want to do about training. I could go directly into the field or I could go through the whole two and a half months of training. Who knows," He explained, shrugging at the end.

"Weird," Mia muttered, "Is that a normal thing?"

He nodded, "They said they did that with another Jedi two years ago and I just spoke to Obi-wan, he got the same test but on the day after tomorrow."

Nodding, Mia sighed, "Lunch?" She inquired.

"It's more like dinner at this point," Anakin replied, "Let's go see the twins."

February 4th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin and Obi-wan were both passed through secondary training after the simulation test. As a result they were free to do whatever they pleased until they were assigned a mission. Mia started her medical training but, instead of starting at the beginning like another recruit, she'd trained with the two recruits from the last batch. Their medical training was advanced and time consuming, so much so that Anakin and the twins barely saw her and, when they did, she was usually studying. Mia felt it was all worth it, she loved doing was she was doing.

She sat on the ratty old chair in the corner, it reminded her very strongly of the chair in the apartment she'd shared with Anakin and Obi-wan at the Temple, a textbook balanced on her lap as she reread a chapter on signs of liver failure. Anakin walked into the living room slowly, wondering when she'd come to bed.

"Mia," He croaked, his voice groggy from sleep.

She made an annoyed, almost whiny sound that might have been something along the lines of 'what?' but he couldn't be sure. It was probably more of an acknowledgement that she'd heard him but a reminder that she was studying. Mia didn't like being disturbed while studying.

"It's one in the morning," He pointed out.

"Yes, and I have a test in ten hours," She reminded him.

Sighing in annoyance and frustration, Anakin walked over and gently took the book from her hands. She didn't immediately take it back or glare at him for that so it was a good sign. Setting it down on the side table, Anakin took her hands in his and levered her up so she was standing.

Leading her towards the bedroom, he signed that it was time for bed. Mia went with no protesting. "_How many more weeks until you're done with your medical training?_" He asked out of curiosity.

"_Let's see, I'm in week five so_," She pretended to count, her face scrunched up in thought as she counted on her fingers, "_Another two months or so_."

He made a face as he turned her around and gently pushed her onto the bed, "_That long?_" He complained before laying down on the bed next to her.

"_I had about a year's worth of training left to do back at the temple_," She pointed out, signing with only her right hand, "_If you ask me this feels a bit rushed_."

Anakin sighed, "I just don't like not seeing you," He signed, yawning.

She smirked at him and moved so she was under the covers, motioning for Anakin to join her. Though, Mia didn't mention that, when she completed her training, she was likely to be sent of relief missions to take care of the sick on other planets. At least, that's what her instructor warned her about. Those missions could last months.

February 28th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan had been sent on a mission to destroy an Empire factory that made weapons for their storm troopers. It was rather simple, according to him, then he reminded them that he'd faced far more complicated missions during the war. Luke and Leia didn't really understand the concept of Obi-wan having to leave for a mission, all they really got was that we would be gone and they wouldn't get to see him. That wasn't really acceptable for them. It was one thing Anakin and Mia hadn't really anticipated when they had decided to join the Rebel Alliance. They got the twins through the four days that Obi-wan was gone on the mission but they knew that longer missions loomed ahead, meaning longer separations.

March 3rd, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin was assigned a mission only a few days after Obi-wan got back. There was a small rebellion on a tiny planet inhabited mostly by Twi'leks, the Empire was invading for the sole purpose of stealing their planet's resources—mostly precious metals. The Alliance knew that the Empire was gathering up as many resources as they could, to build their weapons, their ships, their hidden bases. The mission wasn't just to protect the resources of the planet but also the Twi-leks who were being enslaved for the sole purpose of mining the precious metals.

So Anakin found himself in a tiny little shack partially underground that leaked both dirt and rain. They didn't really have electricity in their little hideout so everything was illuminated by gas lamps—another resource the Empire was trying to steal. As he looked over the map of the mines and where the Empire was building their base, he wondered what they should do. The base itself was, at first, temporary but now they were actually building something there so that, as the years went by, they could easily mine the metals. For a moment Anakin wondered what exactly they wanted with these resources but he couldn't be sure. If they blew up the base then the Imperials on the planet would be scrambling and disorganized, giving them the chance to free the inhabitants they'd enslaved. Svurue was with him on this mission, this was his home planet and he was furious at what the Empire was doing to it and his people.

Speaking of, Anakin looked up as Svurue walked in with two tin mugs of what he hoped was coffee.

"Drink," He told Anakin, offering him the mug.

Taking the hot mug in his hands, Anakin took a long sip. It wasn't coffee, but it was pretty bitter and not in the good way. He glanced up at his comrade with a questioning look.

"It is good for the soul," He explained with a smile that was somewhere between shy and sly, Anakin wasn't sure which.

"I don't think it's my soul that's feeling it," Anakin muttered dryly as heat traveled through his stomach and into his chest.

Svurue chuckled, low and rich like the coffee Anakin longed for, "Well, at least it will keep you warm," He replied, "We're expecting a cold night."

Anakin nodded and looked towards the tiny cot in the corner. Everyone was sleeping in tents, on cots as they waited for their orders.

"What do you think of blowing up the base?" Anakin questioned, "It's not completed so there're still some weaknesses."

Svurue walked over to where Anakin stood, looking over the map. "What about their guards?" He questioned.

"There are two sentries at every opening and three at the build sight. They don't build at night so that's when we'd be attacking," Anakin explained.

"How do you plan to blow up the base?" Svurue questioned Anakin.

Opening the drawer, he pulled out a series of surveillance photos. There were pictures of the openings, guard shifts, and the build sight. Below it were support columns that held it above the rock face.

"If we can blow those support columns it'll be enough damage that they'll be too distracted to pay attention when we free the slaves," He explained. "We position teams in all the mines and the second the support columns are blown, we attack."

Svurue thought about it carefully, "And if the slaves are caught in the crossfire?" He questioned, looking at Anakin carefully.

"Stun guns then," He answered.

They fell into silence before Svurue looked at him again, "How are you doing, being away from your family?" He asked the Jedi finally.

Anakin sighed and looked at his comrade thoughtfully, "How do you feel about being away from your wife and daughter?" He countered.

The Twi'lek chuckled, "I miss them greatly," He replied, looking off into the distance as he thought of his family.

"It's worth it though," Anakin murmured. He looked down, for a moment remembering years he wished he could put behind him. "When I was young, real young I mean, I was sold into slavery."

He felt Svurue's eyes on him, could almost see them widening even when they were out of his line of vision.

"For the first nine years of my life I was a slave on Tatooine. Then, one day a Jedi appears, needing parts for a ship. He took me to the Temple to be trained as a Jedi."

There was a long beat of silence between the two before Anakin finally spoke again, his voice soft but determined, "I was given a chance to live my own life, live it the way I wanted to and I want to give that chance to others."

Svurue nodded thoughtfully, "Then we had best get our rest," He suggested.

Turning, he left the little shack—that wasn't really a shack considering one wall was missing, open for anyone to walk in. Yawning, Anakin walked towards the cot and it's nest of blankets and sat on it, toeing off his shoes but pulling the blankets over his body. Reaching for the tin mug, he downed the last of the hot liquid—it was almost a broth—Svurue had given him, enjoying the heat that spread through his body as the cold night air chilled him.

March 4th, Four years post Galactic Empire

For most of the morning Anakin, Svurue and a few of the rebels working with them planned the attack, working out the kinks in the plan. They'd decided that they'd have to draw the Imperials out of the mines, afraid they'd collapse during the fight and kill not only the rebels but those enslaved and working in the mines as well. They'd decided on the path the team in charge of blowing up the base would have to take to avoid being seen. By lunch time they were assigning groups and explaining the plan to the troops. Everyone knew their assignment.

For a moment Anakin wished Mia was here, not to help him lead the mission but because he just missed her. He hadn't been separated from her longer than a few days and even then, that was nearing a year since. Right now, while this planet neared nighttime, Mia was taking the twins to the care center meant for all the kids. After that she'd head to her first class, probably stressing over an upcoming test or assignment. So as he ate the slop that passed for food around here and drank the bitter broth Svurue claimed was good for his soul, he thought of his family.

Two hours ago a seven man team had started their hike through the woods that enclosed the base to reach the rock face. From there they were going to scale down a few hundred feet and climb so they were at the base of the support columns. As night fell they were going to rig explosives on the columns and get back to safety.

Anakin looked down at the pile of clothing sitting on his cot. When he was a general in the war he'd have changed into a fresh tunic and some different pants—probably black, he liked black, which Obi-wan always thought a bit odd for a Jedi. Today he was wearing the standard Rebel Alliance uniform: dark long sleeve shirt, black pants, combat boots and protective armor for his chest, arms and legs. It was a strange change, one he hadn't anticipated when he'd prepared for this mission.

But he was a Rebel now, not a Jedi.

It was a concept he was still getting used to.

March 5th, Four years post Galactic Empire

It was late into the night when they'd started hiking towards the mines, splitting off into four groups to take down the biggest of a series of mines in the area. Svurue gave Anakin a parting glance, both of them nodding, a silent message of 'good luck'. One leader, Rahrer—a female Twi'lek who practically ran the rebellion on this small planet—led Anakin's group uphill and through the forests. The mine was higher up on the mountain than the base or any of the other mines. That worried Anakin because he didn't giving his enemies the higher ground.

"Maybe we should circle around it so we're on higher ground," He suggested.

Rahrer turned from her spot at the head of the group and gave him an evaluating look, "That will take too long," She decided after a long beat of silence, "We need to stay on course."

Anakin bit the side of his cheek. Rahrer was playing a political game in this rebellion so that when they finally chased the Empire out of here she'd be put in a higher position. He hated people like that but there wasn't much he could do. So he continued hiking up, holding up the back in case someone attacked from behind.

The hike was silent, the soft padding of feet and the light clanking of metal blasters all that filled their ears. Finally Rahrer stopped and held her hand out, looking around warily.

"This is it," She spoke quietly, "The opening of the mine is just up there."

She pointed to the glow of light above, all but completely filtered out by the tree branches above their heads. They listened as she commed into their small hideout, telling the few leaders there that they were in place. They were the second to last to be in place.

The sound of the explosion echoed through the forest and shook the trees. To the rebels it felt like the air itself was shaking as the ground beneath their feet trembled. Some of them fell as the resulting tremors stole away their sense of balance. They hadn't been expecting it to be that powerful, so Anakin could only imagine the shock of the storm troopers and the enslaved Twi'leks in the mines who hadn't been expecting it at all. For a moment he wondered how much of the Imperial base was left after that explosion. There were shouts of distress and commands ordered.

Two storm troopers stepped out the mouth of the mine, searching for some sign of their threat. The bright red beams of blaster fire flashed through the air and they fell, scorch marks on their white armor. Anakin felt sick.

A few seconds later a battle broke out between the rebels and the storm troopers in the mines. Igniting his lightsaber, he jumped up onto a rock and deflected the blaster fire sent their way. As the fighting continued more storm troopers started dropping and they crept further up the hill that separated them. Suddenly one of them cried out in pain and Anakin turned around in surprise. One of the rebels fell to his knees as his hand pressed against left side. Pain seared through Anakin's right shoulder and he cried out in both pain and surprise. Turning back to the fight, he switched his lightsaber to his left arm and mentally scolded himself for getting distracted. Pushing back the burning pain, he deflected the shots fired his way. Slowly they pushed up the hill and forced the storm troopers into the mine until, finally, they stopped firing all together.

"Be warned, they might just be hiding," Rahrer warned, holding her hand up.

"Then I should lead the front," Anakin spoke up, moving past everyone else.

She turned and glared at him, her eyes burning. Most people would have backed down after that one, though most people weren't use to similar piercing glares from Mia.

"You're hurt," She reminded him curtly.

"I'm also the only one capable of deflecting blaster fire," He reminded her as he passed her, stopping for just a moment to look her in the eyes as he added, "And I've also fought through worse."

Walking past, he motioned for everyone to follow him slowly. Standing on the side of the mine entrance, with his back pressed into the stone face, he peered in. For the most part it was dark, only a few torch lamps lit, and at sparse intervals. Stepping into the cave, Anakin moved into the darkness, his blue lightsaber glowing eerily through the darkness. There were bodies of dead storm troopers littering the first few meters of the mine, almost making piles. Stepping carefully through, he walked down the long shaft of the mine, the footsteps of his comrades behind him. The first ten meters were almost uneventful, just a little too quiet. It unsettled him and at the same time it made his heart pump adrenaline through his body faster and faster as his senses tuned into the little things.

The first shot was deflected easily, sent back to the storm trooper that fired it. He fell back with a thud and then it was an all-out fire fight. They were pinned against crevices in walls and small boulders and at the center was Anakin, deflecting shot after shot like it was a morning routine. He'd almost forgotten what it was like, the heat of adrenaline and the fine precision it took to deflect the shots just right so that they went straight back to the sender. Another person cried out in pain and it was coming from behind him. Pushing forward, he moved towards the firing storm troopers, making them retreat.

"Rahrer, get the wounded to safety," Anakin ordered.

"And I assume that excludes you," She muttered under her breath, thinking he couldn't hear her.

As the rest caught up with him, they moved around the corner only to find three storm troopers and all of them holding blasters to the heads of three hostages. Anakin glowered at them, furious.

"Drop your weapons or they die," One of them ordered—the leader, Anakin decided, seeing as he was in the middle.

"Do as he says," Anakin ordered, setting down his lightsaber. The rebels behind him set their blasters on the ground.

The blasters were standard issued to storm troopers, even back when they were called clone troopers. Rex had a pair that he always kept with him. Anakin had even seen him clean them a time or two so he knew where the energy-pack discharge switch was. Reaching out with the force, he put the safety back on and flipped the switches, making the energy-packs fall out the butts of the blasters. The storm troopers looked down in surprise.

"I suggest you let them go," Anakin told them, his voice low and dangerous. He didn't take well to people being held hostage.

Their quickness to release the Twi'leks might have been perceived as comical if it weren't for the reality of the situation and how close they were to ending lives. The enslaved Twi'leks scrambled away from their captors to stand by the side, away from both the rebels and the storm troopers, wary to trust anyone after all they'd been through.

"Execute them," Rahrer ordered from behind.

Anakin opened his mouth to protest, wanting to take them as prisoners rather than kill them. Maybe that was because he still remembered what it was like to fight alongside them and to mourn when they died in battle. They dropped to the ground before the words could come out his mouth.

The hours that followed consisted of releasing the Twi'leks and taking them to safety. At the end of the might, just before dawn, Anakin sat down on the table of the medic who'd accompanied them. He nearly passed out as he was being taken care of, not from the pain or the shock of the battle but from exhaustion.

March 9th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Mia stood in the hanger, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, anxious to see Anakin safe and sound. She'd caught wind of a few rumors that some of them had been injured in the fight. She'd also heard that one mine collapsed before everyone could get out and seventeen died, some of them rebels and some of them slaves. Luke and Leia stood next to her, waiting in excited anticipation for their dad to return, completely unaware that he might have been hurt on this mission.

The hanger door, situated above their heads, slid open and they could hear the roar of an engine as the ship touched ground. Not long after the door opened and people started to file out. Many of them were familiar in some way, people she'd seen on the base. Some of them were strangers, Twi'leks, possibly new recruits but she couldn't be certain. Of course, Mia could understand why they might choose to join the rebellion, after all that happened.

Finally a familiar face could be seen. Anakin, walking slowly down the ramp and onto steady ground, his right arm in a sling. Mia held her hand to her mouth in shock as the twins raced towards him. Kneeling down to their level, he hugged them both close with his good arm. After a long moment, he stood and approached Mia. Pulling him into her arms, she hugged him closely.

"Blaster wound," He softly answered her silent question.

She sighed, burrowing her face his left shoulder and breathing in the scent of his black shirt.

* * *

Please review, they're rather encouraging, especially since 3rd person is not my strong suit, I'm much more used to 1st person. Review and I'll give chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter filling in the middle (I made them this weekend, they're very good)


	17. Until Fate Intercedes

There's a not-so-hidden Doctor Who reference, to the point of being blatantly obvious but hey, sue me.

And to avoid that lawsuit I am adding a disclaimer (don't think I've done that once since starting this story) I do not own Star Wars or Doctor Who

* * *

March 10th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin grunted as Mia pulled away the bandage covering his blaster wound and looked away. There was a cold, tingling sensation as Mia smeared something white and sticky onto the burn. She didn't look up from work, completely and utterly absorbed in healing the wound, to the point of almost being lost.

"Are you almost done?" He asked her finally as she moved away.

Mia looked over her shoulder so he could see her roll her eyes, "Hardly," She muttered, "You know damn well how damaging a blaster shot can be."

Anakin huffed impatiently.

"Nerve damage, radiation poisoning, infection," She trailed off a list of possibilities, "That's why we need to be careful."

"Radiation poisoning sounds like so much fun though," Anakin replied with heavy sarcasm.

Turning, Mia walked back towards the exam table with a tube of something medical in her hand—what it was, Anakin couldn't be sure. Unscrewing the cap, she squeezed a generous amount of blue goop into her right hand.

"What is that?" He questioned slowly, suspicion in his voice.

Instead of answered, she moved closer and started applying it to the surrounding tissue, "I helps regenerate skin, heals things faster. The scientists on Kamino developed it during the war."

The mysterious blue goop left his shoulder tingling, "Is it supposed to do that?" He questioned, "Tingle, I mean?"

"Yeah," She answered before turning away to put it back, "Still just as difficult a patient as before."

He laughed dryly at that.

March 31st, Four years post Galactic Empire

As it turned out, the Alliance had a policy for major wounds—or, as protocol called it, grade three wounds. Due to his still healing blaster wound, Anakin was temporarily off the roster for missions. Even then, once he was back to full fighting form he'd still need to be checked out by a doctor for every mission.

May 4th, Four years post Galactic Empire

The harsh light of the classroom made Mia's eyes hurt as she studied her textbook, preparing for the exam in two days, her final exam. Nobody told her what would happen if she failed it but she was determined not to fail. All she could think about was that after the exam she would finally be considered a doctor. She wouldn't have to sacrifice time with Anakin and the twins to study.

Someone gently tapped the surface of the desk, effectively getting her attention. Had she tuned out sound again? Looking up, she met eyes with her mentor.

"Perhaps some sleep is in order," He suggested.

She sighed and shook her head, looking back down at the book, "No, I need to be prepared," She answered.

"Yes, but you won't perform as well if you're sleep deprived when you take your test," He reminded her, "Go home, get some sleep and the night before the test comes, get eight hours of sleep and have a good breakfast. Your brain needs to be well fed and nourished in order to function properly."

Knowing he was right she nodded both tiredly and reluctantly. Mia closed the textbook and picked up her things before leaving the classroom. Pressing her palm into her brow bone, just above her eye, she rubbed in an attempt to ease the tension headache that had slowly been building in that classroom. Right about now was dinner time but she was too tired to eat so she just walked back to the apartment and crashed.

Sometime later she heard the bedroom door open, or rather woke to the strange abundance of light. Lifting her head up from her folded arms, Mia looked over at Anakin who didn't look too thrilled.

"You skipped dinner," Anakin reminded her scoldingly as he closed the door.

"Too tired to eat," She mumbled as her head returned to its hiding place under her arms, "I don't remember medical training being that stressful."

"I do," He argued, his voice soft as he sat down on the bed and readjusted the afghan that barely covered her lower back, moving it so that it covered more of her. "Which is why I wasn't exactly thrilled to see you'd skipped dinner."

She looked up at him curiously, mentally going back to her days as a Padawan and the two years she took medicine classes. Now that she thought about it, it wasn't uncommon for her to skip a meal or two.

"I'm going to go fix you some sort of dinner," Anakin mentioned as he stood up and walked out the room.

Part of her wanted to go back to sleep then and there but instead Mia got up and wandered into the main room of their small apartment, the afghan wrapped around her shoulders. Sitting on the counter stool, she watched as Anakin searched for something in the cabinets that he at least had a prayer in cooking. They didn't stock up much on food though, Mia was busy with training, Anakin couldn't cook and there was a perfectly working cafeteria two floors up.

Setting down a can of soup in front of her, Anakin went to examine their fridge. It looked a bit dodgy if you asked Mia, the label wasn't even in English. The yellowish broth could be chicken stock or it could be something a lot worse. The noodles were also green in the picture.

Taking in a slow breath, "No," She told him slowly, grey eyes meeting blue.

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and looked down at it, "Why not?" He questioned.

"It's a bit dodgy," She told him plainly, meeting his eyes again.

Further confused, he examined it again. Sighing, he set it down, "Why'd you get it then?" He asked her as he rifled through their sparse cabinets.

"I didn't," She replied, "I'd never get something if I couldn't read the ingredient list. I actually though you'd gotten that."

Looking more concerned than before, Anakin examined it a bit closer, "No, wasn't me," He answered slowly before looking up at her, "Was this here when we moved in?"

"Apparently," Mia answered dryly, leaning back, "It's a tosser."

Shaking his head, Anakin stopped for a second to check the sell by date. Upon reading it, his eyes widened almost comically and he dropped it in the trashcan without another word. Mia bit her lip to keep from laughing and looked down at the counter tile. Turning back, he continued searching their tiny supply of food. Finally he dropped a near empty box of tea, a bag of something white and mushy, and canned beans on the counter between them.

Smirking dryly, Mia opened the bag and took a bite of the white, mushy material that was almost like candy but bland and a bit stale. Making a face, she swallowed it as quickly as possible and pushed the offending stuff away. Out of curiosity, Anakin tried it and quickly tossed it in the trash.

"Beans and tea," Mia murmured slowly, seeming to accept that outcome with a hesitant smile.

Anakin just shook his head, visibly giving up, "Just go to the cafeteria, I'll get Obi-wan to watch the twins and join you."

Sighing heavily like it was the most taxing thing, she walked towards the couch and slipped her feet into a pair of normal flats, "I suppose I'll have to get rid of this," She added, referring to the afghan.

Raising her arms, she let it slide of her shoulders and onto the couch behind her before moving towards the door and grabbing her keys, "See you in five."

The cafeteria was unnaturally quiet, just a few souls lingering about. She supposed the reason for that was because shifts were changing and people were either going to bed or going to work. Walking down the empty food line, her tray scraping softly against the metal counter, Mia picked up a few small plates of food and got herself some tea before sitting down at one of the many deserted tables. Sitting sideways on the bench, with her right knee pressed to her chest, she dipped her teabag into the steaming liquid in her cup, making as strong as possible. As she was spearing her fork through her green, leafy salad Anakin walked into the cafeteria and walked towards her table.

"Really, a salad?" He questioned teasingly, "Mia, a salad isn't a meal."

Instead of taking the bite she'd planned, Mia swung her fork so its prongs were facing Anakin in a dangerous, challenging manner, green leaves still attached.

Rolling his eyes, he shook his head, "I'm going to get some coffee," He decided, standing.

Mia looked up suddenly out of surprise, "But it's nearly ten," She pointed out.

"They have decaf," He reminded her.

Shaking her head, Mia speared another bite of salad, "I remember days when that was considered blasphemy," She mumbled when he was out of ear shot. Anakin always loved his coffee, the stronger the better, anything to combat his great despise of mornings.

He came back shortly with a plastic green mug in hand, identical to the mug holding Mia's tea. Sitting down, he took a long sip then grimaced and put it down, "That is stale," He complained.

"Well what did you expect, nobody drinks decaf," Mia argued, trying to sound scolding so she wouldn't laugh at him.

"That they'd change it out one every month or so," He answered sarcastically.

Not able to help it, Mia threw her head back and laughed, low and deep in her throat. Grinning, she shook her head and took a sip of her tea.

"So day after tomorrow," Anakin spoke up before trailing off.

"Day after tomorrow," Mia agreed quietly, looking relieved, "It's almost over."

May 6th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Mia stirred awake as Anakin was unlatching his arms around her and getting up to meditate. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and watched as he walked towards the corner of their small bedroom. Looking over his shoulder, he signed a short 'good morning' that she returned hazily. The words of her instructor echoed in her head, about needing a good night's sleep and a good breakfast. Pulling the covers off, she decided some meditation couldn't hurt either. Walking around the bed, she sat down next to Anakin, a few inches away from touching, and crossed her legs. He opened his eyes to look at her curiously—probably because she rarely meditated. Silently, Mia closed her eyes and joined Anakin in his morning meditation.

As her breathing deepened, she became more in tune with the Force. Everything around her was a hum, soft and monotone. The walls and floors of the base always seemed to buzz and if you stopped for a moment to listen, you'd hear it. If someone focused, they might feel the way the walls and floor always seemed to vibrate, the machines behind them working hard to power the entire base and its many underground floors. It was all starting to come into focus, the undertones of the faint buzzing that seemed to be getting louder as the seconds ticked by and the way the vibrations coming from the wall behind her ran up her spine softly. She could hear, almost sense, the way Anakin's heartbeat slowed and the way his breathing slowed and deepened. Around Mia were the soft presences of individual Force signatures, some brighter than others, some further than others. It was almost as though she could see them, little grey flames hanging in the balance of the darkness. It all felt harmonious and peaceful.

Counting backwards from ten, Mia breathed in and out and slowly let everything blur away. Opening her eyes, she slumped for a moment before standing slowly and walking towards their old, creaky dresser. Pulling off her sleep shirt, she replaced it with a black tank top and a matching long sleeved shirt, before pulling on a pair of cargo pants.

When she was a Jedi she wore plain but colorful tunics and long black leggings paired with soft leather boots. When she was a civilian she wore dresses, skirts, flats, casual shirts and all of them as plain or flamboyant as she pleased. As a Rebel she wore mostly dark clothing that was soft and flexible but suitable for combat.

Things were always changing.

Sitting on their bed and lacing her boots, Mia cast a glance at Anakin, sitting there still, meditating. She smiled softly, wondering faintly if he was even aware she was leaving. When he meditated, Anakin could lose touch with everything, lose his own sense of presence. It was what put his mind at ease, what felt most comfortable for him. Mia felt most at peace when she could feel everything, was completely aware of everything around her. Letting go of every sense felt cold and weird. Meditation was different for everyone.

She'd let Anakin wake the twins and get them ready, she needed to get breakfast early.

Stirring around the eggs on her plate in an absent minded way, Mia went over her notes as she slowly ate her breakfast. Taking a bite of her eggs, she mentally recited a few vocabulary words. Part of her was glad she wasn't having breakfast with the twins or Anakin because she needed this time to review.

The room they took the test in was cool, dark and quiet. It was just Mia, her two classmates and their instructor. As she sat in front of the computer, answering a question, Mia tugged thoughtfully on her braid. Some of the questions were incredibly easy and then there were a few that were tough. For the most part she was almost finished. There wasn't a clock in the room so she had no idea how much time had passed since she'd started. It could be thirty minutes, it could be several hours. Biting her lip after a quick and fruitless look around the room, she turned back to a more difficult question, releasing her braid in favor of supporting her chin on her hand as she leaned on the arm rest. It was the second to last question and she was almost done, finally.

When she answered the question, and the question that followed, her test score was presented to her seconds later. Her mouth almost fell open, she had a 97%. Her teacher approached her right away and placed his hand on her shoulder, smiling down at her.

"That is one of the highest scores the Rebellion has ever seen," He told her proudly. "Miss Rosslyn, you're free to go."

Grinning from ear to ear, she stood up and walked out the room.

It was nearly lunch time but she figured she could find Anakin a little early. When he wasn't on missions or training he was in one of the hangers fixing up ships. Walking down a series of halls, she took the lift to the top floor. There were five hangers in total but she could sense Anakin in hanger three.

She found him under the console of a small cargo ship.

"So what's wrong with this one?" She questioned suddenly as she leaned against the wall, "Or are you just working on it for the sake of something to do?"

Anakin jumped at her voice, surprised, and quickly slide out from under the console, "Hey," He murmured softly, "How'd your test go?"

A wide grin stretched onto her features and Anakin found himself grinning back, "I got a 97," She told him, "One of the highest ever in the Rebellion."

"That's amazing!" Anakin exclaimed, standing.

In two strides he had Mia in his arms, crushing her to her chest, her toes several inches off the ground.

June 16th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Mia was sitting in the exam room in the early morning, sipping a cup of coffee that was quickly cooling. One thing she didn't like about the infirmary was that it was kept cool, too cool if you asked her. Under her lab coat was a thick grey sweater from her civilian days, fuzzy and fraying in some places with age. It was one of the first things she'd ever bought for herself on Verron. She took in a slow, deep breath as she thought of Verron. It felt like it was ages ago but it still felt like home to her. Mia scrubbed her hand over her face tiredly, careful not to smudge her eyeliner.

The door opened suddenly and one of the nurses, Rory, stuck his head in the door, "Hey, Marn called for you," He mentioned, "Called for a lot of us really."

"Must be a relief mission," Mia mumbled before downing the last of her coffee and standing.

She followed some of her fellow doctors and a few nurses out the medical ward and to the lift, going up three floors. It was floor three, making the question of whether or not it was a mission answered certainly. They walked down a few halls and into a small room with a few rows of chairs facing a screen. Filing in slowly, Mia in the back with Rory next to her. Marn and the head of medicine on this base, Jogh, filed in and stood at the front.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Jogh greeted with a friendly smile, "You all have been assigned for a relief mission."

Mia and Rory exchanged a look and he shrugged.

Jogh went into the outbreak of an infection foreign to a small alien settlement, brought there when the Empire started building a base on their planet. They were going to land in the settlement and treat the ill, fifty miles away from the build site of the base. Mia rolled her eyes when Marn mentioned that they were sending soldiers to protect them, the doctors. To her it sounded like an excuse for sending a few men to spy on the base and try to find out what it was up to. Not that she could blame them though, the Empire would do it, the Jedi would have done it. Hell, she would probably make the same call.

"You leave in forty-eight-hundred hours," Marn finished, pausing a little too long to look everyone in the eye before walking out.

"Actually, this planet rotates once every twenty-six hours and thirteen minutes," One doctor in the front spoke up, "The base just runs on the standard twenty-four hour clock because all the other bases do so every day sun rises at a different time but you can't tell because we're underground."

A few of the other doctors looked at him strangely, not quite because it was something unexpected to say or that they had no idea that was true. Most of them just wondered if that was what they looked like their less scholarly colleagues. Mia smirked and shook her head in amusement.

Jogh told them they were dismissed for the day but that most of them were on call if needed. Effectively dismissed for the night, Mia stood up and walked out the hall and to the lift, going down twenty-seven floors. While on the lift she wondered about all the floors of the base and their many purposes. There were forty different floors but she was sure there had to be a few secret ones. Floor one was mostly hangers. Floor two was where the Rebellion was run, all the base's most important personal coordinating with all other bases. Floor three and four were meant for planning missions and training, floor five was mostly common area, things like the cafeteria and the supply posts where they went for new clothing, food and various other things. As far as Mia knew, only half the base was being fully utilized and it was the largest. At least ten floors were going unused, most of them at the bottom. A few of them were just to produce food, another two or so for science labs. The lowest floor she knew of was floor thirty-six and it was a bunker to evacuate down into if the Empire ever sent nuclear weapons their way.

The lift stopped and the doors slid open, floor thirty, the infirmary. Walking to the exam room, Mia grabbed her book and hung her lab coat up in her locker before going back to the lift.

As soon as she got to the apartment she went to go pack, planning for a cold, wet environment. Not long after she started the door opened, almost silently. Anakin walked into their bedroom, first noticing the half packed duffle bag and then noticing that Mia was folding up another sweater.

"Hey," He spoke up quietly, making her turn his way with surprise in her eyes, "I heard you got your first mission."

Mia smiled, "Yeah, it's a relief mission," She told him as she placed the sweater in the large black duffle bag.

"What's the climate like?" Anakin questioned, knowing exactly how she'd pack.

"Cold, wet," She explained.

Nodding, Anakin moved to the dresser and opened the lowest drawer, pulling out several pairs of thick, wool socks. Turning, he placed them in the duffle bag in the same neurotic, obsessive way Mia always packs. Mia rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile.

June 18th, Four years post Galactic Empire

The hanger was already open when they walked in, the night sky and its many stars viewable. Mia stopped, the duffle bag hanging loosely off her shoulder, and turned to Anakin and the twins. Last night she'd said goodbye to Obi-wan, Taro, Yut-iva and everyone else. Part of her was really excited to be getting her first mission, to go to a new planet and see something that wasn't a concrete wall. The other part of her was dreading being away from the people she loved. She hadn't been apart from Leia in the four year old's entire life and she'd known Luke for just a year now and the thought of leaving either of them was heartbreaking. There was also the fact that the longest she'd gone without seeing Anakin since the war was a week. Mia was worried sick about him, wondering how he'd do without her.

Anakin planted his hands on her shoulders, "Don't worry," He reassured her, "We'll be fine, I promise."

"But I don't want Mia to go," Leia complained for possibly the hundredth time since finding about the mission two nights ago.

Luke looked up at Mia with watery eyes. In the last year they'd become really close. It was enough for Mia to almost reconsider the mission at all. Kneeling down so she was on their level, Mia pulled the twins into a hug.

"I'll be home soon," She promised, her eyes stinging, "And I'll call you guys as much as possible, I promise."

Pulling away, Mia smiled and reached up to wipe away a tear as it ran down Leia's cheek. Standing slowly, she hugged Anakin, latching her arms around his waist as she breathed in the smell of soap. He held her close for a moment before pulling away to kiss her. It lasted for a long moment before Mia pulled away, smiling with a stronger sense of resolution. Turning, she walked towards the ship and the small group of doctors as they boarded.

June 20th, Four years post Galactic Empire

The rain pounded against the plastic tent, a loud and ever-present drumbeat. They worked on twelve hour shifts and they were most of the way through the night shift. Mia slumped against a cot on the ground, exhausted from the last ten hours of constant on-foot motion of caring for the patients. Rory stumped down next to her against the cot, two paper cups of coffee, so small they might as well have been shots. Mia took yet another to keep her going for another two hours before the end of shift.

"I can't remember the last time I worked this hard," Rory mumbled, his head slumping back.

Mia groaned, "I think the last time I worked this hard was a three week siege on Kapakh with the Separatists," She told him, "Leia in diapers wasn't this hard."

Rory snorted in amusement and turned to her, "So what's it like?" He asked her suddenly.

"What, a war?" Mia questioned, confusion in her voice as she turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"No, being a parent," Rory corrected her.

Mia shrugged, "I don't know, I mean, at first it wasn't like that. They aren't mine, biologically speaking, so at first it felt like watching your friend's kid for a while," She explained as best as she could but still, somehow, feeling like she wasn't explain it right. "Then I started watching Leia go through all the firsts and slowly learn to sign, see her look up at me like I'm everything to her and suddenly it's like she's everything to me. It just sort of crept up on me."

Rory nodded, smiling, "So are you and Anakin ever going to have a few of your own?" He asked her, nudging her arm with his elbow.

Mia stilled like the thought had startled her, "I don't know," Mia mumbled, "It feels like it's too soon to think about that."

"Well you've only lived with the guy your whole life," Rory teased.

She laughed in response, "Need I remind you he got married at one point," She chuckled.

"And there was a war," Rory tossed out, smiling tiredly.

Sighing, Mia looked over at the rows of cots to her left, most of them taken. If the infection got much worse they wouldn't have any left.

"Come on, we got to get back," Mia groaned, standing slowly, "Make another pot of coffee, I'm going to make rounds."

June 22nd, Four years post Galactic Empire

Darth Brutus walked through the corridors of his star destroyer with a long stride, making his way to the bridge after having dinner in his quarters. One annoying thing about wearing a mask was that he ate all his meals alone. The thought itself brought on another dry, almost sarcastic comment of siths being able to feel loneliness. Marching onto the bridge, he surveyed the room. Everyone was, more or less, busy at work. If otherwise, they quickly resumed at the sight of him. They were drifting above a little moon with small, narrow rivers winding up its surface.

"Darth Brutus, the Emperor wishes to speak with you," Commander Ver mentioned as he neared the Sith, "His aids seem a little twitchy so I doubt it's anything good."

The Sith gave a rare smirk from behind the mask, "When is any transmission from the Emperor good?" He questioned sarcastically.

Ver struggled to keep his lips from twitching upward, he'd learned to know when the Sith was being sarcastic, despite the monotone voice. As Darth Brutus passed by, he let them twitch up a bit more. Most officers he encountered across the universe weren't thrilled to see the Sith but Ver liked him, he was certainly better than Commander Sarge at the base on Pallaxides.

The transmission room was dark but fairly warm considering the ship itself seemed to constantly be cold. Standing at the end of the room was a blue holo figure of Darth Sidious, long black cloak of evil and all. Walking to the center, the young Sith got down on his knee and held his head down.

"Darth Brutus, rise," The Emperor ordered, seeming too busy and too tired, "Let me be brief. In the Asparga galaxy is the small planet Ish'einda, on which we are building one of our biggest bases yet. In three days the base's nuclear power center is going to be installed and turned on. Your orders are to oversee the construction and get it back on schedule."

"It will be done," Darth Brutus promised.

June 24th, Four years post Galactic Empire

The ship had landed a few hours after daybreak and right away, it seemed, he was rushed off from task to task on the construction site. He was warned straight away that there was a settlement within fifty miles and its inhabitants were infected. The officers overseeing the construction weren't so bad, no more annoying than most were at least. Everything was installed by the end of the day and on the following morning they were going to turn on the nuclear reactor. Darth Brutus wasn't too eager to be around when they turned it on though, his last experience with radioactive material had been in a safe that survived falling from a ship in mid-flight better than he had.

As he was eating dinner in his room he felt something strong pulling at his senses. Suddenly he was aware of a strong Force presence, bright and close. He'd felt it but it was too soft and faint to have noticed. Whoever it was, they were a Jedi.

Standing, he left his quarters on the ship. Within a half hour he had a group of storm troopers with him and they were riding in a small passenger ship towards the alien settlement where the Jedi was hiding out at.

_**Rain, it had to be rain**_, Darth Brutus mentally grumbled as he got off the vehicle and approached the settlement.

As the cold rain seeped through his armor and the clothing in it, the Sith noted the large white tent with a white cross in a red box, the universal symbol for a medical facility.

Inside the tent, Mia was listening as one of the nurses brought her up to date on how the patients were doing. Suddenly a couple of the soldiers with them ran into the tent, "We've got Imperials," Lar stated calmly, "We'll have to evacuate."

"How many?" Mia questioned as she rushed up.

"Ten storm troopers and the Emperor's right hand man himself," Lar answered as he checked the charge on the energy pack for his assault rifle, "Darth Brutus."

Someone behind her swore. "No, this is good," She told them, "He's the person the Emperor sends after Jedi."

"Mia," A nurse behind her murmured, "You can't."

"We can evacuate," Lar told her.

Mia shook her head, "We can't evacuate, not in time and not without risking the patients," She argued, "Here's what we'll do. Anyone with a gun goes out the back of the tent and you stay hidden because the second they know we're Rebels we're screwed. I'll go out, I'll talk to them and if it comes to a fight, so be it, but only if I decide it should."

Rory handed her lightsaber and she tucked it in her pants behind her back, moving her loose black shirt so it was covering it from sight. Taking a deep breath, she smiled as reassuringly as she could and walked out the tent and into the rain.

Darth Brutus was approaching the tent when Mia walked out, face calm and passive. He stopped for a moment, surprised to see her. It had been almost a year since he started his search for her and he'd finally found her. They approached each other, both of them seeming to know what the other wanted.

"Mia Rosslyn," Darth Brutus was the first to speak.

Mia stilled at the use of her name, not only had he recognized her instantly but he knew she preferred Mia over Mialera.

"Someone's done their homework," Mia commented sassily, crossing her arms.

Behind his mask the Sith raised an eyebrow, "I'm here to take you prisoner," He stated, hoping she'd come with him willingly instead of fighting him.

"Tough shit!" Mia growled out, "Do you even know why I'm here? I'm here because when your little Empire started building its base on this planet, it brought with it a foreign disease that is killing the inhabitants and they don't have the means to cure it. I am here trying to save the lives your Empire is snuffing out with its carelessness."

His mouth fell open and for a moment he was extremely grateful his mask kept his shock from being known. He'd never really been told off like that, most people just feared him. Mia stood in front of him, crossing her arms and glaring as she waited for some kind of response. This wasn't how he pictured meeting his sister would go. Behind him stood ten storm troopers, there more for intimidation than anything else because most Jedi wouldn't have much of a problem taking them all down. Darth Brutus didn't exactly relish the idea of ten dead storm troopers and a lightsaber duel with his sister right now.

"If you come with me willingly, I'll leave your patients and fellow doctors alone," He compromised, figuring giving her something she wanted was the only way to keep this from ending badly.

Mia considered it for a half second before nodding.

"Place your lightsaber on the ground and put your hands on your head," He ordered.

Sighing, she reached behind her and pulled out her lightsaber, not all that surprised Darth Brutus had made the specific order. Placing it on the muddy ground with some hesitancy, she turned around and placed her hands on her head. They were in cuffs seconds later, but surprisingly not the cuffs that dampened her sense of the Force. Darth Brutus turned her around and seemed to be looking her in the eye, or maybe everywhere, she couldn't really tell considering he was wearing a mask. In his hand, surprisingly, was her lightsaber.

"Never really pegged you for the General-Grievous lightsaber-trophy-collector type," She mused dryly.

If he found that at all funny or at all offensive, she had no clue. Instead the Sith gripped her shoulder in his free hand and escorted her into the speeder, the storm troopers following close behind. At least the inside of the back of the truck was dry though not particularly warm. As they sat against the cold metal separating them from the cab the storm troopers got in.

"Boys," Mia greeted in a low voice before turning to her captor, "Sith."

"Jedi," Darth Brutus replied, sounding like he was starting to lose his patience with her. The cold, mechanical voice sounded more droid than being.

The ride back to their half constructed base was short and bumpy. Halfway through Mia was starting to shiver despite herself, wishing she wasn't quite so soaked. Suddenly the speeder stopped and the storm troopers started to file out, waiting loyally for their leader. At this point they seemed more like pets than soldiers to Mia but she didn't voice that particular thought. Darth Brutus marched her up the ramp of a landed star destroyer. They went through a series of corridors. She raised an eyebrow thoughtfully as she realized nothing had really changed.

He brought her to the lift, presumably to take her to holding himself. Instead of pressing the floor number that—for this particular model—led to the holding cells, Darth Brutus signaled for the lift to go to the top floor. Mia's eyebrows furrowed as she wondered why, of all times, he wanted to go to where, she was pretty sure, personal quarters were. Stilling, she felt her blood run cold at the first assumption that came to mind.

"Relax, it's not what you're thinking," Darth Brutus spoke up suddenly when he noticed the way she tensed up. He felt like smacking himself for letting her mind go there. "We need to have a discussion."

Mia looked up, biting back a sarcastic response as the lift doors slid open. The hall was long and there were only a handful of doors, all of them spaced out nicely. Darth Brutus walked forward to the closest one, entering a ten digit code to unlock the door. Opening it, he nudged Mia inside. It was surprisingly nice, worthy of diplomats, which she supposed he was. It didn't lessen the ever present wariness though. Stepping inside, she looked around. He surprised her when he suddenly took off the cuffs. It was enough to remind her that she was in the presence of an enemy. Turning, she took several steps away, crouching like she was expecting a fight. Instead of attacking or going on any sort of offensive, he pulled off his mask.

Stilling, Mia took a moment to look at the features of her captor. He was young, her age in fact. He became second in command when she was twenty-one. That was awfully young to come into so much power. She knew she was a hypocrite for thinking that though, she was a general before she was twenty. Darth Brutus had jet black hair and grey eyes, he looked like her, a lot like her.

"Mia," He spoke, seeming almost amused at her rare silence.

"Sorry, but how do you know I like to be called Mia?" She questioned suddenly, unable to think of anything clever to say, "Not Mialera."

He didn't seem to know how to answer that. "Do you remember much of your life before the Jedi took you to the Temple, your childhood before that?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Not really," She answered slowly, "Sorry, is that where the interrogation starts? With my childhood?"

Darth Brutus rolled his eyes at that.

_**So Sith roll their eyes too**_, Mia thought with a slight smirk.

"This isn't an interrogation," He corrected, seeming annoyed she'd even had the thought. He took a step forward, "So, no memories? Do you know anything about your family?"

She shrugged despite his closing proximity, "Um, young mother and a grandma who died before I was born and may or may not have been deaf," Mia answered, finding the questions unusual as she watched for any sign that he might attack.

That only seemed to confuse the young Sith before her, "So you didn't know you had a brother?" He questioned before he could think of tact.

"No," She replied, her slow as she considered the possibility and where a Sith might have gotten such a strange idea, "Because I didn't have a brother."

Seeing that this wasn't really going anywhere, he moved towards the side table where he left her Jedi file, the one he sometimes looked at when he was losing hope—if Sith could have hope. Opening it, he went to a very frequented page and handed it to her. Taking it with a hesitant expression, she read it through. It was formal requests to investigate a brother who was taken to become a Jedi as well.

"I had a brother?" She questioned with wide eyes as she read through it a second time, too shocked to believe it.

If he was taken to become a Jedi then he was probably dead by now, if it wasn't the war then it was the purges.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Mia asked nobody in particular.

"The only people that knew were Kenobi, Jinn and the Jedi Council," Darth Brutus explained, "They did investigate but they didn't come up with anything substantial enough."

Mia raised her eyes back at him, "And you're telling me this because?" She trailed off.

Darth Brutus looked like he was ready to give up, "I'm your brother," He said finally, quietly.

Her eyes snapped to his as she look at him again, closer this time. They didn't just share the same coloring, they shared similar features. They both had narrow faces with high cheek bones and close set eyes.

"How?" Mia whispered as she sat down on the couch, "How do you know? Why don't I remember?"

"We were only two when they took us," Darth Brutus explained as he sat down next to her, "I didn't even know I had a sister until about a year ago."

Mia looked up at him, "When did you find out?"

"June 1st," He answered.

"My birthday," She murmured.

"Our birthday," He corrected.

Mia wiped away a tear as it slid down her cheek, "I don't even know your name," She added.

He stilled, "I didn't either," He told her quietly. At her confused look, he continued, "When the Sith took me they didn't really call me anything, just trained me and told me how a proper Sith was supposed to act. After a while I just sort of forgot."

She bite her lip to keep from crying more at hearing that. How could anyone forget their own name?

Looking down at his hands as if they had the right words to say, he continued, "When I found out you were my sister I looked up your birth certificate and I found mine. My name's Micah."

Mia smiled, "Micah," She murmured, closing her eyes for a moment as she tested the way it sounded to her ears.

He looked at her hesitantly, like he was waiting for a more negative reaction.

"Force, what a pair we make," Mia laughed, a little bitterness and humor mixing together in a strange way.

June 25th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin blinked twice as he attempted to return his focus to the ship engine above him. There wasn't necessarily something wrong with it but he needed something to fill him time while Mia was away or he'd go sick with worry. Nobody told him that waiting while someone you loved stood on the front line was so difficult. He hadn't slept all the way through the night since she left, he didn't like sleeping alone.

He heard three sets of footsteps approaching him. Turning his head to the side, he noticed their shoes. One of them was his supervisor in the hanger, Karfar, two unfamiliar.

"Master Skywalker," Marn called, "Can I speak with you?"

Pressing his hands to the concrete ground, he pushed himself out from under the ship. Standing, he looked at all three of them. The third person was another official but Anakin had never had the pleasure—or displeasure, if the rumors were true—of meeting D'ven Frouh.

"Yes?" He murmured warily, looking between the three of them.

"Last night we received a transmission from Ish'einda," Marn told him.

Anakin's eyes widened, "That's the planet Mia's on, the relief mission," He stated as his mind whirled.

"There was an incident last night," Marn added, looking tired.

"Why are you telling me this?" Anakin questioned, his voice tightening and turning cold. _**Incident, Mia, can't be, why would they go to the trouble to tell me in person? Command only make those calls for…**_

Marn looked down, seeming to bring himself to say it, "Darth Brutus and a squad of storm troopers walked onto the settlement, looking for a Jedi. Mia went with him willingly, according to the reports she did it to save the patients," He explained.

"No, they couldn't have taken her," Anakin argued, unwilling to take that as truth, "It was a relief mission, she wasn't supposed to be anywhere near the front line, she wasn't supposed to be anywhere near that bastard!"

He slammed his metal hand on the table next to him to make his point, furious.

Marn nodded sympathetically, "We just have a few questions," He mentioned.

Anakin glared at him, "You have questions?" He growled.

"We're trying to assess the damage," D'ven Frouh cut in.

"Damage," He growled, "Let's talk damage. There were soldiers on your little relief mission, why didn't they try to protect her? Why did they just hand her over?!"

"According to the reports, Rosslyn ordered them not to attack unless she told them too, she didn't want to risk Darth Brutus having his men open fire on the infirmary and killing everyone inside," D'ven answered, "It was her idea."

Closing his eyes, Anakin bit his tongue, "Yeah, figures," He muttered, more to himself than anyone, "Sounds like her."

"We're considering scrubbing the relief mission and evacuating the base," Marn explained.

"Why do we need to evacuate the base?" Anakin questioned, confused.

D'ven clasped his hands in front of him as he stepped forward, "Well you tell us, how long do you think it'll take for the Empire to learn she's part of the Rebellion? How long do you think she will withstand their interrogation techniques?"

"You have some nerve," Anakin growled lowly, his eyes flashing dangerously, "Get the hell away from me."

Stepping away, Anakin walked out the hanger, resisting the increasing urge to punch the asshole in the face. Walking down the corridor, he moved towards the lift, going down to floor four to where most of the training rooms were, he felt like hitting something. Going down the hall, Anakin walked into a smaller sized training room with a row of punching bags lined up against the wall. Pulling off the smock he wore over his regular clothes when he worked in the hanger, he approached them. Suddenly his right fist connected with the punching bag, sending it back before it swung back just in time to be hit with his left. Gritting his teeth together, he hit it again and again.

After a few pointless, useless punches, he stopped and hung his head against the bag, eyes closed shut.

_**It was a relief mission, she wasn't supposed to be in danger, she was supposed to be safe**_, the words kept swimming around in his head in a dizzying way.

_**Force knows what's happening right now**_, he thought. He felt like he might cry, feeling absolutely useless, hopeless.

The door opened suddenly and Anakin turned to face Obi-wan, who looked pale, sick even. There was a moment of silence before Obi-wan broke it, "I heard about Mia," He quietly stated, unspoken words still hanging in the air.

"I heard she ordered the soldiers not to fight," Anakin mentioned, "She went with him willingly."

Obi-wan chuckled humorlessly, "I heard she was seen telling Darth Brutus off."

Anakin smiled despite himself, "Yeah, that sounds like her" He muttered for the second time that day.

"We'll get her back, one way or another," Obi-wan assured his former Padawan.

Anakin ran a frustrated hand through his hair, finding it hard to believe. Obi-wan's eyebrows furrowed and he stepped towards Anakin, taking his left wrist in hand. The knucles of his hand were starting to bruise and one of them was split open. Normally Anakin would have wrapped his hand up before hitting the punching bag. Frowning, Obi-wan looked up at his former Padawan scoldingly. It vaguely reminded Anakin of the days when he was a Padawan, he got that look a lot.

"Come on, let's patch your hand up," Obi-wan ordered tiredly.

June 25th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Mia walked into the common room of her brother's personal quarters, wearing one of his shirts despite the fact she found a few dresses in the wardrobe of the second bedroom. Clearly he'd planned for when he found her. It raised the question of what he planned for after they'd been reunited. Did he intend for her to stay with him? If so, for how long? The common room was dark, illuminated by the light coming in through her room. He probably went to sleep after she'd gone to shower and change into something dryer. Mia wasn't surprised, she was used to being up all night now, he wasn't.

Sighing, she looked around, wondering if there was anything to do. The first thing that caught her interest was the file sitting on the coffee table, her file. Checking the closed double doors she was pretty sure led to his room, Mia picked up the file and moved towards the second bedroom, her room. Stepping hesitantly into the large but nice room, she slid the door closed behind her and sat down on the bed, leaning against the thick, plushy pillows.

_**I don't remember the personal quarters on these ships being this nice**_, Mia considered with a slight smirk of amusement.

Criss-crossing her legs, Mia opened the file. The front page was a form with all her basic information and the photo the Jedi took of her after she was knighted. Knowing there was nothing of interest or anything she didn't already know on the form, she flipped the file to the next page. It was a list of contents. Mia's eyebrows furrowed as she considered the size of the file again. It was pretty thick, probably full of incidents involving her younger years and, most certainly, Anakin.

"Medical history, missions, education, yata-yata-yata," Mia mumbled as she scanned the list.

_**So basically nothing of interest**_, Mia sighed and rolled her eyes, _**save for the one form about a brother and an investigation nobody ever told me about.**_

Deciding medical history was worth a look, Mia flipped through the pages. The first page was basic family history, things her mother had told Obi-wan and Qui-gon when she was taken. She knew there wasn't much in the way of medical history though. Her mother never lived long enough to develop any of the usual health conditions that came, most often, with age. Not even high blood pressure. Her father's side of the family was entirely unknown, she wasn't even sure her mother knew who the father was.

_**That sounded bitchy**_, Mia mentally scolded herself.

Sighing, she flipped the next page. It was about genetic testing, they'd had her DNA coded. That didn't surprise her as much as she thought it should. She knew Jedi sometimes had their DNA coded and she knew that, during the war, Jedi Council had almost passed a law to have everyone in the Temple give DNA samples and blood for emergencies.

Rubbing her eyes wearily, Mia skimmed through the charts of coded DNA for anything that stood out. Finding nothing out of the ordinary or unexpected, Mia looked down at the paragraph on the bottom of the next page.

"Patient A6B00196 DNA matches that of the DNA of Patient A5B99852. Results indicate that Patient A5B99852 is the father of Patient A6B00196," Mia murmured, eyes widening with every word.

Opening her mouth with a mildly colorful swear, Mia was cut off abruptly by the horribly familiar sound of night terrors. On her feet in an instant, Mia crossed the distance common room in moments and opened the door of her brother's room. She found him sitting up on the bed, panting and hair a sticky mess against his head.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Mia asked as she sat down in his bed, in front of him.

For a moment he looked at her like she was a stranger before seeming to get a bearing on his surroundings.

"Sorry, nightmare," Micah muttered dismissively, "Sorry to have woken you."

"I wasn't asleep," She assured him quietly, "And you don't ever have to apologize for having a nightmare."

He looked at her for a moment like he was surprised to hear her say that before looking away, seeming to attempt to dismiss it. Mia looked down at her hands before looking up at her brother, once more marveling at the similarities.

"Do you have anything to make tea with?" Mia inquired, "Do you even drink tea?"

Micah laughed for a moment, "Not really but I should have something," He gestured towards the common room, likely towards the door that led to someplace unfamiliar.

Standing slowly, Mia walked out the room but not before looking back for a moment, worried he wasn't as alright as he was trying to pretend to be. In a way it reminded her of Anakin, the first few years after his turn to the dark side, his near permanent turn. Mia stopped in front of the door, looking down at the ground for a moment as she thought of him. He'd probably heard she'd been taken, was probably a mess. He might even think she was dead. It wouldn't be a far stretch, she'd make the same assumption were the situations reversed.

She felt her brother—she blinked as she considered how crazy it was to have a brother—move into the room behind her.

"What's wrong?" He asked, sounding confused.

Mia shook her head but didn't turn to face him, she didn't want him to know about her family, not just yet. Opening the door, she walked into the small kitchenette, barely equipped to make tea or coffee. It didn't escape her notice, as she was heating up the water in a tiny little kettle, that all he had in the way of tea was the kind that induced drowsiness. He didn't sleep well, probably with insomnia.

"Your tea selection sucks," Mia bluntly commented as she was pouring the hot water into the two cups.

"I have very little use of tea," Micah stated simply.

Mia turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow and the most unimpressed expression she could muster as she handed him the steaming cup of tea, it was enough to make him reconsider, "But if you'd like, I'll make sure to get some more," He conceded.

"That would be nice," Mia agreed, "Thank you."

Moving back into the common room, she sat down on the couch and sat the cup on the coffee table.

"Why do I get the sense that you don't spend much time here?" Mia inquired as she looked around.

"What makes you think that?" He asked her curiously.

Mia shrugged, "It just seems a bit sterile," She explained.

Micah's eyebrows furrowed, clearly confused.

"Everything's in perfect order, nothing out of place, not even a little mess," Mia trailed off.

Instead of responding, he looked away and picked up his cup, taking a small sip. The silence baffled Mia for a half second before she shrugged it off and took a sip of her own tea, joining him in the chosen silence.

June 26th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin sat on the old armchair in the corner, fabric faded and fraying. It was Mia's reading chair, it was old and recycled to them through the Alliance but that didn't keep Mia from claiming it as her own. He was pretty sure part of it was because it reminded her of her chair back at the Temple when they were still Padawans.

The silence in the apartment was deafening. The twins had gone to bed an hour ago and exhaustion was wearing on him but he hated the idea of sleeping in an empty bed. Opening his eyes for a second, Anakin checked the clock. On Ish'einda it was almost breakfast time. Mia's shift was supposed to end right about now, she'd probably get a quick bite to eat before crashing and sleeping for most of the day.

That is, if she were still in the tent, caring for patients, counting the minutes until her twelve hour shift ended and she could get some sleep.

Force knew what was happening right this second.

June 26th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Mia rolled over onto her back, scowling at the ceiling above her. She'd gone to bed hours ago to get herself back into a normal schedule but sleep eluded her. For a while she'd thought it was because she'd only been awake for six hours before trying to go back to sleep. She'd also considered the possibility that new places made it difficult to sleep in but that wasn't it. It was the bond she shared with Anakin, restlessness and anxiety were filtering in. She'd tried communicating with him through it but with little success, after all, who's to say he isn't trying to communicate with her right now?

Giving up on sleep entirely, Mia sat up in bed and stared at the file next to her. She should probably return it before her brother noticed it was missing. Part of her wanted to search through every word of it with a fine tooth comb for any mention of any father or brother. How much had the Jedi known and kept from her?

"Attachment leads to the dark side," Mia repeated, her voice low and mocking, as she got up and took the file into the common room, depositing it where she'd found it.

Turning back to her room, Mia closed the door behind her and ran a hand through her messy, knotted hair. Moving towards the dresser, she hoped for a brush. A smile reached her face when she pulled out the top drawer and found a hairbrush, completely unused. Taking it, she sat down on the slightly too soft mattress and ran the brush through the ends of her hair. As she worked the brush through the ends of her hair, she wondered about breakfast.

Moving towards the dresser again, Mia placed the hairbrush on top of the dresser and opened the wardrobe again. In it were four dresses and she wasn't sure if her brother was the one to pick them out or if someone helped him. He didn't really seem like the type to go to a clothing store and shop for someone but he also didn't seem like the type to get help from someone else. Picking out the blue one, Mia put it on. It was nice but after a year of dark shirts and comfy pants all the time she wasn't used to wearing a dress anymore.

Pushing the thoughts aside, Mia smoothing out the crinkles so that it fell to its full length, her ankles. Sliding open the double doors, Mia was surprised to find Micah sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in hand. Moving to poor herself a cup of coffee, she sat down next to him.

"So when's breakfast?" Mia asked the first thing that came to mind.

Micah checked his watch, "Should be here soon," He answered before turning to her, "How'd you sleep?"

"I don't sleep well in new places," She answered with a half-truth. She didn't but that wasn't the reason for her prevailing insomnia.

He nodded, "Neither do I," He agreed quietly.

Mia smiled a little, knowing they had something in common. There was a sudden knock at the door, making Mia jump. Standing, Micah approached the door, listening for the sound of the lift going down before opening the door and rolling the cart carrying their breakfast into the room. On it were two plates with lids covering them to keep them warm.

"I'm warning you now, the food here is terrible," He spoke up as he placed the two plates on the small table placed against the far wall, only meant for two.

"Yeah, I remember what military food is like," Mia chuckled as she walked over and sat down with him, "At least you get to make your own coffee."

"I don't even think they have coffee in the cafeteria," Micah commented as he cut up a piece of sausage that was—to Mia's disgust—grey.

Taking a bite of mushy eggs, Mia pushed her two sausage links to the far corner of her plate before spreading some butter on her toast. It would seem that nothing had changed for the better where food was concerned.

"So what were you doing there in that settlement?" Micah asked her suddenly.

Mia raised an eyebrow, "Taking care of patients," She answered simply, her voice dry, "Patients the Empire put in danger."

"I meant what sort of group were you with?" He clarified.

"It's a charity," Mia lied, "We try to treat those in need, when they don't have the means to receive proper medical care."

He nodded, looking passive. Mia wasn't sure if he bought the lie or if he was even a little suspicious. She was guessing the latter.

"Do you often question your guests during breakfast?" Mia questioned dryly.

"Forgive me," Micah amended, "I'm not used to eating with others."

Mia tilted her head almost imperceptivity to the side as she considered her brother. She didn't know what it was but it didn't feel like he meant the apology. It didn't really matter to her if he meant it or not but it was the way he did it, like he was catching himself when he did something most people would consider rude.

"Your table conversation may suck but your table manners are impeccable," Mia joked with a smile.

The corner of his mouth twitched up, almost like he was trying to smile but couldn't quite bring himself to.

"I spent a lot of meals with Darth Tyranous when I was younger," Micah stated, "Or Count Dooku as you knew him."

Mia smirked, "I've never spent any time with him, even when he was a Jedi, but from what I've heard he's quite," She considered her word choice, she wanted to say 'pole up his ass' but she wasn't quite sure if that would offend him or not, "Stiff, if I'm putting it nicely."

"And if you weren't putting it nicely?" He inquired, curious.

"He's got quite the pole up his ass," She responded, smirking still.

That earned a smirk from her brother, "That's an," He trailed off, "Accurate description of the man."

Mia laughed, head tipping back as it bubbled in her throat.

* * *

I really wasn't sure where I wanted to end this but I wanted to post a new chapter this weekend and this particular chapter was already 10,000 words so this seemed like a good stopping place.

Reviews are lovely and I greatly look forward to them, they're encouraging, to say the least. Leave me a review and your reward will be a virtual cookies (edible cookies don't ship well, sadly)


	18. On Behalf of Family

Sorry, I know it has been forever since I last updated. A lot has been going on lately. I finished the manuscript for my first book and I've been writing to literary agents (and receiving rejection letter after rejection letter) I've also been editing my second book but it's a mess. My grandmother has not been in the best of health and neither have I. On with Chapter18

* * *

June 27th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Micah stood at the coffee maker, watching the dark liquid brew with an impatient expression. The morning was already off to a rocky start for him. It started with a nightmare that had him sitting up in bed soaked in his own sweat, breathless. It was better than screaming and waking Mia though. Crossing his arms, he mentally went over his day. They were clear to leave this morning and he didn't have anywhere he needed to be. It was possible that maybe he could take Mia to his home on Ammi-seru, their home planet.

That was assuming Darth Sidious didn't drop another assignment on him last second.

The double doors behind him quietly slid open, signaling that Mia was awake, "We're set to leave today," He mentioned, still watching the sluggish coffee maker with his arms crossed.

Silence followed as Mia walked up beside him, hair curtaining her face as she started a pot of tea.

"Anywhere in particular you want to go?" He asked her, trying to get some sort of reaction.

Mia turned and looked at him like she was waiting for some sort of expression. She made a vague motion with her forearm, lifting her fingers to her lips before lowering her arm forward. Placing the same hand on the crook of her elbow, Mia raised her left arm like she was flexing it. Micah stared at her, baffled. She stared at him, a spark of surprise in her eyes.

"You don't know sign language," Mia murmured, surprised leaking into her slightly slurred voice.

"No, I do not," He answered, thinking it should be obvious.

"You've known I was your sister and that I was deaf for a year and you never thought to learn sign language?" She questioned, finding the fact ridiculous.

He leaned back, uncertain as to how to answer, "No, I suppose not," He answered uncertainly.

Sighing, Mia shook her head in dismay and moved to sit down at the couch as she waited for the kettle to go off. Micah followed her there, giving up on watching coffee percolate.

"Why did you learn sign language if you could use the Force to hear?" He asked her as he sat down, curious and slightly confused.

"Well, you're not born with master knowledge of the Force," Mia pointed out, "It took me years to learn. Obi-wan taught me sign language so we could communicate as he taught me the right techniques."

Nodding slowly as he digested the information, Micah stared at the wall, not sure what to say.

"I guess I've always lived with people who knew sign language," Mia explained.

Micah nodded and turned to Mia, "We're leaving today," He informed her, changing the subject. "I haven't got anywhere I'm supposed to be so I might take you to my home."

"You have a home?" Mia questioned, surprised.

His eyebrows furrowed, "Of course I do."

"Sorry, I just assumed you lived on your ship all the time," Mia explained, hands in the air in an almost apologetic way. Lowering them, Mia met his eyes, grey like her own, "So where is your home?"

His mouth twitched in a way that almost looked like he might try to smile but Mia was quickly learning that her brother rarely, if ever, smiled. "It's on Ammi-seru," He answered.

Her eyes widened in surprise, "Our home planet," She murmured.

"We're set to leave after breakfast," Micah explained as he stood up to pour himself a cup of coffee.

After breakfast he put his armor on, to Mia's slight annoyance, and made his way to the bridge. Already he could feel any friendliness he held before fading away. It was strange, whenever he was in Mia's company he felt almost human but the second he stepped away he felt the darkness of the Force come back into focus. Walking onto the bridge, he approached Commander Ver.

"Darth Brutus," He spoke to the young Sith, "We're ready to depart, what are your orders?"

"Take this ship to Ammi-seru, I need to take a leave of absence," He ordered as he faced the windowpanes, staring out into space and the stars that lit it up.

Nodding, the young commander stepped away and began to give orders to everyone on the bridge. Pressing his hands on the railing, Darth Brutus watched as the ship began to lift off from the ground of the cold, damp little planet known as Ish'einda. The techs on the floor below began calculating a route through hyperspace. By his mental calculation, they'd be there an hour or so before dinner.

As soon as her brother left Mia walked into her room and closed the doors behind her. Slipping her hand into the almost invisible pocket, Mia pulled out the small photo. It was Anakin and the twins, sitting on the couch in their old house on Verron, Anakin's arms pinning them both to his side and smiles all around. The rain had stained the photo in her pocket but she could still make out their faces.

Smiling, Mia placed it back in her pocket as she returned to the great internal debate that had her up into the late hours the night before: Should she stay with her brother and get to know him better or should she find a way to return to Anakin and her family.

Each one had its pros and cons. If she stayed with her brother she'd get to know more about not just him but where they came from. But she'd also be subjecting Anakin and the twins to endless worry, not knowing what happened to her. She wanted to tell them she was alright but she couldn't do that without alerting the Empire to the location of their single most wanted enemy.

But if she left and returned to her family she was shutting the door on her brother, turning her back on him. It would also make him want to find her and that could lead to the Rebel Alliance and the location of the Empire's most wanted.

She was torn.

Sighing, Mia went and made herself another cup of tea.

Mia passed the hours with half-hearted reading to keep her thoughts at bay. She didn't know the exact distance between where they were and Ammi-seru but she was pretty sure she wouldn't see her brother until well after lunch, probably closer dinner, whenever it was they landed. For a while she sat on her bed wondering what Ammi-seru was like but she only knew a few vague details. It was a mostly tropical planet and women were treated lesser than men.

When she was very little she'd wanted to know everything about her home planet, her mother and where she came from. Obi-wan and Qui-gon didn't tell her much about it, just tiny details like the name of the city she hailed from or that woman from her planet didn't cut their hair before marriage. It wasn't until she was nearly ten that she finally more information. The more she learned about her heritage the more she was disgusted with her people. It wasn't just that women were treated lesser it was the severity of their restrictions on the planet. Truthfully she was dreading going there.

The door opened suddenly, making Mia stir awake from a nap she hadn't realized she was having. Rolling onto her side, she looked at her brother, still wearing his armor and mask.

She made a face, "Are you always going to wear that dreadful mask around others?" She asked him, rubbing her eye.

"Not always," He answered her, the mechanical voice sent chills down her skin, "Come with me."

Her usual '_I don't take anybody's shit_' attitude made her want to make a snide remark about orders but she withheld. Sitting up slowly, Mia cracked her neck and stood up slowly. He held out a folded bundle of fabric. Taking it hesitantly, she unfolded it.

"A cloak, really?" Mia challenged with a slight sarcastic bite.

"Put it on, I'd rather neither the cameras nor my men saw your face," He explained.

Mia rolled her eyes, "Why, so many of them already have," she responded as she pulled the soft black fabric over her shoulders, pulling the hood over her head.

He didn't bother responding and she didn't care to push it so she followed him out of the very nice personal quarters and into the lift. She kept her head down as she passed Imperials in the halls following her brother.

_**How the hell did I end up in the heart of the Empire in only a few days?**_ She asked herself. They were never going to believe her when she finally got back to Anakin and the Rebellion.

The next door led to a small hanger with only a few ships inside, none of them able to carry more than a few passengers. A young Imperial walked over to them in an oil stained smock that made Mia's heart ache, reminding her of late evenings when Anakin came home exhausted from work.

"Your ship is ready to go Lord Brutus," The hanger attendant announced. His eyes flickered from his superior officer to her, curiosity flashing for a second before he looked away.

Rather than respond Darth Brutus walked towards the ship, expecting Mia to follow. Mia took a half second to look at the hanger attendant—who seemed to have expected exactly that—before following. She was beginning to wonder just how terrible her brother's manners were. Was it just normal for Sith? She had no idea, she spent little time with Siths in her life. Anakin wasn't a Sith long enough for her to really notice any lasting change and she hadn't had the pleasure of any actual interaction with Count Dooku, just the usual destroying of his plans and being in the middle of the same inter-galactic war. Anakin assured her she wasn't missing much, Count Dooku wasn't the best conversationalist—'too soon' she'd told him.

She'd had very few encounters with Chancellor Palpatine before he became the Emperor but she knew he could be the physical embodiment of polite when he wanted to be. He just didn't want to be.

She walked into the cramped cockpit of the ship, surprised to find Micah sitting in the pilot's seat, his mask sitting by his feet.

"You fly?" She questioned, surprised.

"No, I float," He muttered, sounding irritated. It took her a long moment to realize he was being sarcastic. As sarcastic as a Sith could be, at least.

"It's really surprising," Mia commented as she sat down in the copilot seat.

He looked at her for a moment, "What about you, do you—" "What, float?" She cut him off, smirking. "Fly," Micah clarified.

"Sort of but I haven't actually flown something myself since," She trailed off. Technically, it had been during the war but since joining the Rebellion she'd taken several flight simulation tests.

"Since the war, I guess," She finally answered.

Micah nodded, "Who taught you?" He asked.

He knew he was supposed to be polite, ask questions, listen patiently. It wasn't something he was entirely used to considering he was usually either in a position where he was the superior officer giving out orders or where he was taking them from the Emperor. Having a conversation with someone on equal terms was a rare thing.

"I didn't learn until about the time the war started," Mia explained, "Finally Anakin…"

She looked away, trailing off, not wanting to talk to her brother about Anakin.

"Skywalker taught you," Micah surmised. She nodded one and they lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. "Did you—" Mia cut him off there, "I don't want to talk about Skywalker," She told him quietly.

Nodding again, Micah started flipping switches and getting the ship ready to fly. Mia watched in silence as he spoke over the comm. line with whoever kept tabs on what ships were leaving. Finally they were in the air, flying out the hanger doors and into space. Below them was a planet brimming with brilliant greens and blues that seemed to blend to the point where no one color was distinguishable from the other. Slowly, the ship turned towards the planet and soared towards it. The ride through the atmosphere and onto the planet's surface was a little bumpy but overall smooth. When they finally landed, Micah stood up. He looked at his sister for a moment and realized they'd reached a dilemma. Standing up as well, Mia moved to take off the cloak but he stopped her.

"No, keep the hood up, you'll need it," He warned her.

She looked at him in confusion before it dawned on her. Huffing, she pulled the hood over her head and pulled the sides of the cloak so they covered her a bit better. Wrapping his arm over her shoulder in a surprisingly protective manor, he led her out of the ship.

Mia almost stumbled with surprise. She supposed she shouldn't have expected anything less. In front of her stood a large, extravagant estate. It rose at least two stories, possibly three and made her old house on Verron look like a cramped little closet in comparison. The lawns around it were lush and green with tall palm trees that spread shade all around. Suddenly Mia felt very out of place.

In front of the house stood an elderly woman, dressed in a simple blue dress with a head covering wrapping around her head. Only her stern looking face and her knobby hands were left visible. Slowly she approached them and turned to Micah, curtsying.

"Lord Brutus, welcome home," She greeted before turning to Mia, "And this must be your dear sister."

Mia turned to her brother, had he warned this woman before they arrived.

"Thank you Sarvana," Micah turned to Mia, "Mia, this is Sarvana, head housekeeper."

She turned to the elderly woman, "Nice to meet you," She murmured, wondering if she was supposed to curtsy or something.

"Mia has never been to this planet so she doesn't know much about the customs here, so I'm trusting you'll show her patience as she adjusts," Micah spoke.

"Indeed, my Lord," Sarvana replied before turning to Mia and giving her a quick glance. She held out her hand, "Come with me child, I will show you to your room."

Taking the cold hand of the old woman, Mia allowed her to lead her into the estate that loomed over her, looking back only once to see if Micah would follow them. He stood by the ship, watching them thoughtfully. The two guards at the doors opened the large double doors for them. The front entrance was tall and airy, surprisingly well lit. The cold of the marble floors beneath her feet seeped in through the thin soles of her old boots. The echoing click-clacking of Sarvana's short heels was all that Mia heard. They walked up the staircase that wound its way along the curved wall. For a moment Mia thought Sarvana would have to stop or slow down but the old woman continued up. Mia barely got a chance to glance into the large, ornate room directly in front of stairs. It's tall windows let in the violet and pink sky.

Sarvana dragged her off by her hand, going down a maze of corridors that made little, if any, sense to Mia. Finally she stopped at an old wood door and motioned for Mia to go in. Hesitantly, Mia opened the door, walking in. The room, like the house, was a lot bigger and a lot nicer than it really needed to be. Standing in the center of the room were two women. One was young, a few years younger than Mia, while the other was in her mid-thirties. Both of them were dressed head to two in light colored dresses with matching head coverings on.

They curtsying and Mia wondered if this was just a curtsying planet. Standing in front of them, Mia wondered what she was supposed to do. The door behind her closed and the click-clacking of Sarvana's heels slowly faded away.

"Hi," Mia spoke slowly, looking between them.

They looked at her for a moment, closely examining her. She wasn't dressed like them, her dress came to just past her knees and he cloak ended a few inches lower than that.

"Sorry, what am I supposed to do again?" She asked them, pulling her hood down, "I've never been here, Ammi-seru I mean, before and I don't know what I'm…"

The younger one smiled, "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know," She apologized, "I am Yemma and this is Tsia."

She smiled, "Nice to meet you, I'm Mia," Mia introduced herself.

Tsia stared at her. The lack of head covering was probably never seen around here.

"Tsia," Yemma admonished, "Don't stare, she's not like us, she doesn't know."

Mia nodded a little, "Um, so," She trailed off.

"We should get you ready for dinner, it will start soon," Yemma explained before taking Mia's hand and leading her to a polished wardrobe and opening it.

Examining each one carefully, Yemma pulled out a deep green dress and held it up to Mia, "I like this one best," She stated before looking over at Tsia, "Aren't I right Tsia, she'd look beautiful in this."

Tsia nodded shyly. Hanging the dress up on the door of the wardrobe, Yemma held her hands out to Mia, "Now we just need to get you out of this dress."

Mia took a step back, "You're not going to dress me like a doll or anything, right?" She checked.

Yemma blinked, "Of course we are, it's our job," She laughed.

Mia looked between Yemma and Tsia—who did not look amused in the least—and shook her head, "You really don't have to do that, I can dress myself."

Yemma unfastened the black cloak and let it ripple to the ground in a puddle. "You're the sister of a diplomat, you never had anyone dress you?" She asked, surprised.

Mia shook her head, "I actually grew up a," She paused, 'Jedi' probably wasn't the best thing to say, "I grew up in a small family, I took care of myself, nobody dressed me."

"Well you have us now," Yemma replied, smiling in the most friendly manner possible as she walked around Mia and undid the zipper.

Hot blood pooled at her cheeks at the idea of being dressed like a doll. When her dress was also sitting on the ground they looked at her underwear, surprised.

"Um, aren't you guys supposed to be getting to the dressing part?" Mia questioned, feeling cold.

"Strange wrappings," Yemma murmured, "Where did you get these?"

Mia looked over her shoulder at Yemma, "You mean my underwear?" She questioned sarcastically, not quite believing this was happening, "Uh, Verron or something?"

"We don't have anything like this," Yemma explained as she took the green dress and helped Mia put it on, "We just have plain wrappings."

Mia nodded, "Could you get me some of those because this is all I have on me at the moment," She requested.

"Of course," The young girl answered as she fastened the last button, "Now for your hair."

Mia sat down in a chair, waiting patiently as Tsia twisted her long hair into a coil before wrapping it around itself, pinning it in strategic places. The awkward silence left behind as Yemma ran to get more of these wrappings wasn't lost on either of them. Tsia didn't bother with conversation and if it weren't for the fact she'd asked Yemma to get the wrappings, Mia would have thought she was mute.

The door opened and Yemma walked in just as Tsia was teaching Mia how to wrap the black patterned cloth covering over her head.

"You look like an entirely different person," Yemma exclaimed, entirely pleased with the transformation.

Mia looked at herself in the mirror and she'd never felt more out of place.

Sarvana had returned for her not long after to bring her to dinner. The long halls were dark, lighted by sparcely placed gas lamps. Did her brother just prefer it dark?

Sarvana stopped and two tall double doors and motioned for the guard posted there to open the door. It opened with a groaning creak as the heavy wood parted, revealing a large room with a long table. At the end of the table sat her brother, no armor or mask to weigh him down. Stepping into the room, she made her way towards him. The room was lit by candle light, casting long shadows on the wall. He stood up and pulled the chair next to him out. Mia sat down slowly, surprised the by his manners.

"You look entirely different," He spoke after a moment.

Mia nodded and looked away, "I feel completely out of place here," She murmured, glancing around the room and it's tall walls lined with art from across the galaxy.

One of them even looked like a lake on Naboo.

"Why is that?" He asked her, eyebrows floating upwards.

Mia let the corners of her mouth lift and turned to him, "Because the Jedi Temples, while large and fairly nice, were nothing like this," She answered, "And I never had to wear something like this before."

Micah nodded, "It's an adjustment period, I agree," He replied, "We won't be here long, a week at most."

The doors opened again, the creak echoing in a way that was almost spooky in this dark room. A man stepped forward, pushing a tray in quietly. He stopped a few feet away from them and started silently placing trays in front of them, lifting the lids and allowing the strange and new smells to lift into the air. Setting down two sets of plates and silverware, the man left without a word. Mia watched him leave before turning to her brother. The candle light illuminated the grey eyes that matched hers but there were flecks of gold in there, foreign to her.

Micah reached forward and began the process of cutting up some slab of meat. It smelled like it was heavily spiced but it didn't smell unpleasant. Cutting up several slices, he served both Mia and himself before moving to a bowl of something golden and mushy that resembled mashed potatoes. One by one, he served each of them a fair portion of the food but Mia felt it was probably more than she could possibly handle. Finally, Micah leaned back against the chair and motioned for her to go ahead and taste it.

Taking her fork, she took a bite of the golden, mushy whatever and tried it. It was surprisingly sweet and almost buttery, rich in a way that made her mouth water but did not overpower her taste buds. A small, infectious smile lit up her face and it was enough for the eyes of her brother to crinkle softly, pleased. There was something about the motion that was familiar to her but she couldn't place it.

Picking up her knife, she tried some of the meat. It was spicy in a peppery way, juicy in the center that coated her tongue evenly, enhanced by the spices.

"How is this all so good?" She questioned, amazed.

There was a small exhale through his nose that almost sounded like laughter, amusement. "The chef here is phenomenal," He answered, "I hired the best."

Mia nodded, "Got to have something to make up for the watered down mush the Empire has the nerve to call food," She commented sarcastically.

The corners of his mouth lifted up for a second before returning to their usual stoic position. Was that a smile? The thought made Mia smirk, maybe there was more to her brother than met the eye. He seemed to at least have some sense of humor even if it was hidden under everything else.

"So how did you find out about me?" Mia asked rather suddenly.

Micah sighed tiredly, "I'd thought you were dead for the most of my life," He murmured.

Mia raised an eyebrow, "Why?" She asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Micah answered abruptly, meeting her eyes with annoyance clear in them before he looked away.

Mia sat back. She wasn't entirely surprised, in some ways she expected him to be closed off, at least when complicated parts of his past came into conversation.

"Sorry," She mumbled the apology before taking a bite of something green and leafy but heavily coated in some sort of sauce.

The sauce itself was sweet but there was a citrus taste to it and it left a warm aftertaste.

The rest of dinner was held in silence. When Mia was done she excused herself. The doors opened slowly for her and she slipped out. She half expected Sarvana to be waiting at the door to take her to her room but the hall was empty. Slipping past the guard silently, giving a short nod of thanks, Mia made her way down the hall. She had a vague idea of where her room was and what route she should take but there was a longing urge to explore.

Later, She decided, after everyone is asleep.

The walk to her room was fairly silent. As she passed servants they slowed down to bow slightly at the waist. It was entirely strange to Mia and she wasn't sure whether or not she was supposed to bow.

When she returned to her room she closed the door and locked it. The room was big and well decorated. Colorful rugs coated the floor, leaving peaks of the wood planks beneath. The bed, on the far wall, was huge and tall, so tall Mia would probably have some trouble climbing into. Along the bedpost, which hung over the bed, colorful curtains gave some privacy. Mia noticed the two tall windows which looked distinctly like doors. Stepping towards them, she opened them, looking out into the balcony. It was too dark to see their surroundings but Mia enjoyed the way thousands of starts covered then night sky like a cloud cover, swirls of lights and color taking over the sky. There was something she loved about the night sky, it always looked different from where you stood, be it on another planet in another system across the universe or just at a different angle from where you stood.

Sighing contently, Mia stepped back inside, closing the door before she made her way to her wardrobe, wondering if there was something there for bed.

There was a knock on the door. Without making even a step towards it, Mia reached out into the Force and undid the lock. Yemma stepped in, smiling. She always seemed to be smiling.

"I'm here to get you ready for bed," She spoke.

Mia turned to her, "I don't need help," She replied, shaking her head, "I've been dressing myself for my entire life, I don't need someone to help me with it."

Yemma nodded like she was expecting this and moved towards the wardrobe, opening it. She pulled out a white gown that would fall to Mia's ankles, possibly further.

"Put these on, I'll help if needed," Yemma told her.

Nodding slowly, Mia took the clothing from her hands and turned her back to Yemma, changing slowly. It wasn't so much that she minded changing in front of other people—hell, she could do it in front of men and not bat and eye—but it was something about the idea of someone wanting to dress her like a doll that made her feel weird.

Pulling on the night gown, she watched as it pooled at her ankles, covering everything but her hands, neck and head. Yemma motioned for Mia to sit down at the vanity. Slowly she undid the head covering and released Mia's hair from the twist it'd been confined to for the last hour or so. She tied the hair at the nape of her neck with a ribbon, leaving it hanging in loose waves.

"I'll be back in the morning with breakfast," Yemma told her before leaving the room.

Left alone, in the silence, Mia sat down on the bed, her mind whirling.

* * *

Some of this is loosely based off Muslim culture but is not meant to be an exact replica in any sense. Still, I hope you enjoyed and a review would be amazing.


	19. We've Never Known

June 28th, Four years post Galactic Empire

It was well past midnight when she decided it was safe. Getting out from the warm covers of an empty bed, Mia approached the wardrobe. Hung up in the back of it was a long black cloak with gold trim and a heavy hood. Pulling on the thick fabric, Mia fed her arms through the sleeves and moved towards the nightstand. Lifting up the gas lantern, she moved towards the door, the white fabric of her nightgown just peeking out of the cloak with every step. She didn't know what would happen if somebody caught her roaming around the property at this hour and dressed in a way they deemed inappropriate for women. Unworried, Mia stepped into the hall. Tall windows stood over her, letting in the moonless starlight.

Turning, she went left down the path she'd taken to dinner, starting with what she knew.

As she made her way down the hall, her bare feet gliding over the wood floors silently, she began to notice that the house and her brother didn't quite match. With what she knew of her brother, he preferred dark colors, particularly black. The entire house was decorated with colors that stood out even when muted by the darkness. The little carvings in the furniture, the soft thickness of the fabrics, the paintings that looked like they belonged in museums, it was all too nice for her. She felt out of place.

She missed her shabby little apartment with Anakin and the twins. She'd been keeping an eye out for things to decorate it with, woven blankets or little knick-knacks nobody wanted. Slowly but surely it had started to feel like home. The twins didn't like how confined it all felt compared to their house on Verron but they were more or less okay with it now.

Turning, Mia walked down a new and unfamiliar hall. It was narrow and dark with no windows to let in the light, doors lined both sides at periodic checkpoints like clockwork. Mia stopped when she noticed one door slightly askew. She hadn't planned on snooping room per room, just a quick look around, but her curiosity got the best of her. Pushing the door open gently, she didn't even flinch when it creaked. Stepping in, she realized it was a small office. In the corner, on a table, sat a comms. system. Drawn to it like a moth to light, Mia stepped closer to it. Her fingers grazed over the buttons and in an instant she had the receiver in hand while her fingers graced over the buttons, ready to recite a memorized frequency.

After the purges she and Anakin had started setting up precautions, should they be found. They'd packed bags for any unexpected trip and had stowed them away in the garage under a sheet. They made a list of possible planets to flee to that they liked. Sometimes they picked one for the health care or its governmental values or its safety, but they had a list of possibilities should it come to that. Finally they set up a secure comm. line. It couldn't be traced or listened in on but it was a wild card and it had a one-use only.

She almost typed in the frequency before she stopped herself. Anakin would come running for her and that would lead him right into the hands of the Empire's second in command. Either way, one of them would get hurt. It might also lead the Empire to the rebellion and that wasn't acceptable either. She'd find a way to get back to them but this wasn't the way, this was reckless and endangered others. She'd find a way.

June 28th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin wasn't sure what had changed but within a few hours she was close enough that he could sense her so much clearer, enough that her emotions filtered though. He wasn't sure if she sensed it though. He sat at the table, staring at a wall as he felt her anxiety and determination float through the bond.

_**Mia**_, he tried to speak through the bond.

There was a prickling in the back of his mind but otherwise radio silence. She couldn't hear him and even if Mia could she probably wouldn't respond back, not with a Sith sniffing for any clues leading to other Jedi. She wouldn't risk their safety, it would be a cold day in Hell before she gave something like that up.

He wasn't sure where she was but it was certainly closer than she had been before.

June 28th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Micah woke up in a cold sweat, the images of a nightmare flickering through the back of his mind. Letting out a shaky breath, he stood and moved towards the bathroom. His reflection in the mirror was pale with dark purple bruising under his eyes. Turning on the cold tap, he splashed his face, trying to wash away another nightmare. Standing straight, he looked back into the dark grey eyes of his reflection. He looked different from a year ago, he wasn't sure how it had happened but something was changing. The dreams were becoming more haunting and it was starting to affect him more. The flecks of yellow that once dominated his eyes had been pushed back to the center of his irises. Something about him was changing and he didn't understand it.

Pushing the thoughts away, he moved towards shower, deciding it was time to get ready for the day.

Breakfast was always had in his room, he didn't care to see anyone right after waking up, not after nightmares like that. He ate slowly, buying time as he sipped his coffee slowly.

After eating and getting dressed, the young Sith left his room, locking the door behind him. As he was walking down the halls he spotted Sarvana and inquired on Mia's whereabouts. Sarvana mentioned that she'd shown the young girl the library.

"How strange, a girl with such an interest in books," Sarvana commented, "She's been educated?"

He nodded but didn't say anything more on it.

He found her browsing titles on the bookshelves, most of them in basic and quite a few in languages he'd never heard of before, much less learned. Watching as Mia craned her neck to read titles on a shelf just out of reach, Micah made his way into the room.

"You know, it's not very nice to lurk," Mia commented off-handedly, not bothering to even cast a glance over her shoulder.

Crossing his arms, the young Sith scowled, "I don't lurk," He corrected.

"No, you just stand in the shadows where you think nobody can see you," Mia replied with light sarcasm, looking back at him just long enough to smile, "Do they teach lurking in Sith school?"

"Did the Jedi teach sarcasm?" Micah retorted, irked.

Mia shook her head, smiling in amusement, "No but it does help to have a master who can be as sarcastic as they come," She replied with ease.

Her hand came back to scratch under the head covering.

"I thought I could show you around town," He offered.

Mia looked over her shoulder, surprised, "Uh, sure I guess," She agreed despite the pit in her stomach that said it was a bad idea. "I'll probably have to change into something else, won't I?" She guessed.

He nodded slowly like he knew she'd hate it, "I can have Sarvana send someone up," Micah offered.

She almost declined but then it occurred to her that she had no idea whatsoever what it was women on this planet wore in public. Considering how particular they were about the amount of skin she showed, she had the feeling this was too revealing for the overly conservative—restrictive really—planet.

"Ask if she could send Yemma," She requested.

"Yemma," Micah repeated, sure he'd never heard someone by that name.

"She's really nice," Mia explained, not sure if she was surprised he didn't know the girl by name, "Doesn't make me feel like such an outsider."

Nodding, Micah motioned for Mia to follow him. She got the feeling she was being escorted back to her room, probably for the best, she didn't quite have the place mapped up.

June 28th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin slowly walked down the halls of the base as everyone around him rushed about. There were rumors going around about an evacuation. He hadn't been officially told but he was sure that D'ven Frouh had ordered it, convinced that Mia would easily give up the location of the base. She was stronger than that.

Walking towards the daycare, he picked up Luke and Leia who were full of questions, all about and when she was returning home.

"Miss Spotsta said everyone came back," Leia spoke up, "Why isn't Mia back?"

"Did something happen to her?" Luke questioned, all too perseptive.

Anakin knelt down, realizing he'd have to tell them sooner or later. He placed a hand on each of their shoulders, looking them in the eyes. Leia's widened ever so slightly, like she was waiting for something bad to happen.

"Mia's not coming home for a while," Anakin whispered, "We don't know when she's coming home."

"No!" Leia shouted, "No! She promised she'd come back!"

"I know," Anakin whispered, his chest squeezing painfully, unable to bear their distress, "But she's going to come back, it'll just take some time."

_**I'll find a way to get her back**_, Anakin vowed, _**Mia will find a way to come back, she always does.**_

Luke sighed, "Why can't she come home?" He asked.

Anakin lied, "She's just really sick and she needs to get better before she can come home," He answered. It was better than the truth. He didn't think they were ready to hear something like that.

Luke tilted his head ever so slightly to the side, like he didn't believe it.

June 28th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Mia walked a step behind her brother, tugging at the long black sleeves of her dress, her nose itching from the head covering. It was maddening, feeling so confined in a simple dress like this. The only time she'd ever had to wear something like that was on a diplomatic mission back when she was still a Jedi Knight but back then she'd been allowed to wear her regular Jedi clothes and her face was visible.

The village, a few miles away from the large estate her brother owned, was bustling. The air smelled heavily of smoked meats and exotic fruits, it was beginning to make her sick. She wanted to go home, to her real home, not to the place her brother called home, so sterile she might as well have been in a hospital. She wanted to go to her home, where Anakin and the twins were.

Mia groaned, tugging at the itchy dress again. She wanted to tell him she didn't like this but that would be rude. The least she could do was tolerate a tour.

Micah turned suddenly and walked into a small building. It sold little trinkets but that wasn't what caught Mia's attention. It was the young girl, too short to be a full grown adult, maybe fourteen or fifteen. She had her head bowed as the owner of the store yelled at her for some small mistake, dropping a box of goods.

"You're lucky I don't beat you with the strap!" He hissed at her.

In an instant she was standing between the cowering girl and the awful man, "You won't touch her!" Mia warned lowly, "How dare you treat someone like that!"

His face contorted with anger, "Know you place," He swore a word Mia had never heard before but it wasn't hard to guess what it meant.

"I'm not afraid of you and I won't let you beat her," Mia stated, not backing down.

What happened next was surprising. Her cheek stung through the thick fabric, a fine line along her cheek bone that felt wet. In the man's hand was a leather strap, maybe a foot long, angled metal spikes sticking out. Before she knew it someone was standing between them.

"You won't hurt either of them," Micah growled, his voice so low the man backed away warily.

June 28th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin packed slowly, figuring he'd start with the smaller, more sentimental things. He'd started with the twins room, collecting toys and clothes they wouldn't need for the next few days, carefully storing hand drawn pictures they'd hung up. One of them was one Luke did of the four of them, he and Leia in the middle, happy and clutching hands. On the sides were Anakin and Mia, reaching over the twins to hold hands with big smiles. It was an impressive picture for a boy who wasn't even five yet. Sighing, Anakin carefully removed the tape from the concrete wall and placed it in the folder.

Eventually he made his way towards the bedroom he shared with Mia. It was strange, she had left ten days ago but he could still smell the warm vanilla lotion she use, the fresh, clean smell of the laundry detergent she bought and the fruity smell of her hair conditioner. Her presence clung to the walls and the furniture, warm and light.

Sitting down on the bed, he opened the nightstand drawer. Inside was a small leather bound book but he recognized it instantly. Picking it up, he turned to the first page. Immediately a lined letter fell out, the corners lightly singed. It was the letter he'd written in the event he ever died, Mia had found it after the mission that had almost cost him his life. It was the letter where he finally told her he loved her. Not able to read it, Anakin set it aside and looked at the pages of the little photo album. On the first page was a picture of Anakin and Mia when they'd been seventeen and sixteen, respectively. They'd snuck out of the Temple one night to explore Coruscant, they'd gotten dinner, seen a movie and gone dancing. It was just a little hole in the wall on one of the lower levels of Coruscant, they taught all kinds of dancing. At first it had been awkward for him because he'd never been any good at dancing but Mia took to it with ease. At the end of the night they'd spotted a photographer and paid him to take their picture. His arm was draped over her shoulder, fingers tangled in her long black hair. They were smiling widely, he didn't think it was possible for them to smile any wider. Then next was a picture of Anakin and Mia when they were eleven and ten. Obi-wan had taken it to celebrate their completing a level of their education. Mia was looking to the side, biting her lip while he was holding out two fingers behind her head, the oldest trick in the book. She was pretending not to notice. The next picture was while they were on a mission, just after they'd fallen in love with each other but before they'd admitted it. It was a diplomatic mission and during negotiations Anakin and Mia had gotten away for a minute, just to stretch their legs and burn off some steam. That day Mia's hair was hanging loose, half of it pulled back in a hair-tie. They were wearing their nicest Jedi tunics for the occasion and because of that one of the aides, a nice young woman, had taken a picture of them.

He wasn't entirely sure the order she'd had in mind when she'd made the album, it wasn't chronological. Maybe it was by sentimental value but he didn't think that was it either. He'd asked about the particular order of it once or twice before but Mia had shrugged and changed the subject.

Truthfully, he wasn't sure how she still had it. She was at the Temple during the night of the Purges, he wasn't sure how she'd even gotten out alive, not many had. He did know she had managed to get a group of younglings out and that she'd been in her quarters alone when he'd attacked the Temple.

She didn't know exactly what had happened to the younglings, she'd gotten them on a ship with Bail Organa with orders to hide them and keep them safe. For all she knew they could be dead or they could be alright, living what they hoped were happy lives. They'd never know.

June 28th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Mia slammed and locked the door behind her, fuming. In a few seconds she was tugging at the head covering, pulling it off and throwing it across the room. Her cheek was wet with blood and tears, her hair half pulled out of its twist in her efforts to get the covering off. In a second she was in a heap on the bed. She sniffled, cursing herself for even crying in the first place. She hated it here, she just wanted to go home.

"Mia," She heard, a vague and muffled sound dimmed as she started to tune out her hearing, "Mia!"

Out of the corner of her eye she could see the door opening and her brother stepping in. He stepped towards the bed, staring at her cheek.

"We need to bandage that up," She watched his lips moved, too pissed to tune in enough to hear the words.

"Don't touch me," She ordered, batting his hand away before mumbling, "Just go away."

He sighed, seeming resigned and moved towards the door but not before turning to look at her, curled on the bed, "They don't know any better, this is the way they've always lived, we need to show them patience," He told her, "They're our people."

"They are not my people!" Mia shouted, on her feet, "My people are dead, the only family I've ever known are dying out and I can't do a God damn thing to stop it!"

She turned away, another tear streaming down her other cheek, "My entire life was uprooted in a day, my home was in flames, my friends were dead or fleeing for their lives, my family was separated and I was helpless."

Micah stood there, not knowing what to say. What could he say? He was part of the very government that had killed the Jedi, he had killed Jedi himself.

"Just get out, I want to be alone," Mia muttered, not turning to look at him.

He left without any argument, the door closing silently behind him.

Turning, Mia walked into the bathroom, looking at the mirror. Her eyes were red, her left cheek was cut up and bloody and her hair was a mess. Taking a clean cloth rag, she wet it and held it to her cheek, gently wiping away the blood. It turned red quickly so she rinsed it out until it was only a slight shade of pink before bringing it back to her cheek.

June 30th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin sat down at the hanger, waiting to be boarded for another evacuation ship. He felt numb. If Mia somehow escaped on her own she'd come here, expecting the base to still be active. What would she do when she found it empty? There wasn't anything he could do about it, the evacuation had been ordered the day she'd been taken prisoner.

Next to him Luke and Leia squirmed, having been sitting still too long already.

"Where are we going?" Leia asked for the seventh time, tugging on his sleeve."

"To another base," He answered quietly.

"Where?" Leia urged.

Anakin pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on her wavy brown hair, "I don't know princess," He murmured.

"Flight 186B boarding in five minutes," A mechanic voice called out over the speakerphone.

"That's up," Anakin muttered, standing up slowly.

July 1st, Four years post Galactic Empire

Mia stared out the window, not getting out of bed. It was her birthday—their birthday, she corrected—and for the first time she was spending it with her brother but she wasn't spending it with her family. The last week had been impossibly hard. Something was happening with Anakin and the twins, she couldn't quite pin it from so far away but something was changing. Being away from them for so long was getting hard. It made her head hurt in sharp, painful bursts, being so far apart.

The sun was rising slowly, sending the stars off into dormancy while the sun lighted the sky, rays of golden light streaming through the windows and lighting the room. In a way it felt almost peaceful, watching her room slowly flood with light as her reality seemed to flood as well.

Sighing, Mia pushed away the thick covers and got up, the cool air sending Goosebumps to her skin as her bare feet slowly made their way towards the wardrobe. She didn't know what Micah had planned but at least she could be certain there wasn't going to be any public outings involved, not after she swore against it the last time.

At least she still got to dress herself.

Taking her long braid, Mia began coiling it into a bun and pinning it at strategic points, glaring at the embroidered black head covering before snatching it off the hook.

July 1st, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin woke with a start, stumbling out of bed with an unlit lightsaber in hand as he searched the corners for a man in black armor dragging Mia off in cuffs. The images of the nightmare faded away, leaving something unfamiliar behind. The room was filled with light, the walls were drywall, not concrete and the floor was made up of smoothed down planks of wood. Most of the furniture was different but most of their things were still there, just in boxes still.

Blinking, Anakin slumped against the wall as the memories of the last two days began to seep into his head. They'd moved to a new base and Mia wasn't here, Mia might never be here. He wasn't used to waking up like this anymore, for so long Mia had been there right next to him, pushing away all notions of a nightmare away with a touch.

July 1st, Four years post Galactic Empire

Walking down the hall slowly, Mia took her time going to breakfast. On her first morning on this strange planet in a house that was too big she'd been surprised to find out that she'd be having her breakfast in her room every morning. It hadn't sat particularly well with her and before their little outing—her cheek still bore a faint red line from that one—she'd asked why. The reason hadn't sat entirely too well with her. Actually, she'd told him his aversion to conversation in the waking hours of the morning was an entirely stupid reason to eat in his room.

After the little incident with the business end of a spiked belt she'd refused to even have dinner with him she was so angry. As a way of making it up to her he'd had breakfast with her the next morning. It was a continuing tradition. So far at least.

She wasn't sure what was planned for their birthday but knowing her ever mysterious brother it should prove interesting. As she passed a window something caught her stop. Backpedaling, she stopped to stare at the small ship that had found itself planted on the grass. It couldn't carry more than a few passengers. Moving forward, Mia quickly made her way to the second floor stair landing, stopping behind a pillar, just out of sight. Below her stood a man wearing black and grey non-descriptive clothing, standing level footed with his arms crossed, a blaster on each side.

_**What's Micah doing with a bounty hunter?**_ Mia wondered.

Without any sort of warning her brother came striding in, full armor, "Thomas, this is unexpected," He spoke, still managing to sound pissed despite the voice mechanicalizer.

"This information is unexpected," Thomas replied in an accent she couldn't quite distinguish, handing out a folder.

Taking it slowly, Micah opened it, reading quickly, "And you've confirmed it?" He checked.

Thomas nodded and then, seeming to just notice Mia, looked up to smile coyly. Mia raised a challenging eyebrow in return. He had the nerve to wink. He was very lucky her brother had not noticed.

_**What's Micah doing with a bounty hunter out of Vivi's dirty lady novels?**_ Mia questioned, not sure if she was amused or irked.

Mia backed off into the shadows before her brother could see her but she was sure her presence was noticed. Turning, she made her way to a back stairwell that went relatively unused and went down to the dining hall, expecting her brother to join her sometime later. Perched on the long table, Mia waited patiently, legs swinging casually in the air as she slowly ate a green apple plucked from the fruit bowl next to her.

The doors opened slowly and Micah stepped in, armorless, looking entirely unsurprised to see her there.

"Interesting choice in bounty hunter," Mia commented as he made his way towards his usual seat.

It made him stop still three feet in front of her, "What do you mean by that?" He questioned, genuinely curious.

"I mean, yeah, he'll get you the dirt alright," Mia started, smiling teasingly, "But, I mean, really, it'll be _that_ kind of dirt."

He looked at her like he genuinely had no idea what she meant.

"I mean, not the guy I'd pick to run into the heat of battle for what you paid for," Mia continued, trying not to smile too much, "At least, not _that_ kind of battle."

The look of cluelessness on his face was really making her want to laugh hard.

"Of course, he could probably worm himself out of the tightest situations," She went one, wondering when her brother would ever catch on.

"But in the end of the day, the mission isn't where his heart's at," She added, thinking if he made her explain it she'd smack him upside the head.

He just continued looking at her, completely lost. "You seriously have no idea what I'm saying?" Mia checked, raising an eyebrow.

"Should I?" Micah questioned.

Mia surprised herself with a palm slap, "Wow," She muttered as she got up and walked towards her usual seat.

Just as Micah sat down next to her the door opened and Jarna, who always served the meals, rolled a cart full of trays in.

"Morning Jarna," Mia greeted, smiling.

"Good morning Miss Mia," He replied with an affectionate smile.

After he left with the cart Micah asked an unexpected question, "So what kind of bounty hunter would you hire?" He asked her.

"One who doesn't look like he just walked out of a dirty ladies novel," Mia muttered bluntly before sipping her orange juice.

"He does not," Micah tried to deny.

"And the bloody coy smile," Mia muttered, annoyed, "Argh."

"How does he look like," He trailed off, not sure how to finish that sentence.

"What, the gigantic biceps and the overly tight shirt?" Mia challenged, raising an eyebrow, "The cocky little attitude?"

She rolled her eyes, "Still can't believe he had the gall to wink at me," She muttered so low he couldn't properly hear, "What sort of information did he give you anyway?"

"The current location of an item within the Empire's interest," Micah answered as cryptically as he could. They didn't do well talking about the Empire.

"Let me guess, it involves a weapon or a way to keep the masses terrified," Mia muttered as sarcastically as possible, "Crime and disease across the universe are on the rise and half of them can't afford to buy food but don't worry because the Emperor has our best interests at heart."

The last part was spoken in a tone so sarcastically sweet it smelled almost rotten to Mia.

Micah didn't even bother responding, it was their birthday and he wasn't ruining it with an argument about politics.

"So what do you normally do on your birthday?" He asked instead.

Mia shrugged, "I spend it with my family," She answered, "Last year we went and got dinner out."

His eyebrows furrowed, "You have a family?" He questioned, genuinely surprised. The only time she'd used the word family was when describing her fellow Jedi during the Purges.

Mia looked away, "Yeah, I do," She whispered.

"You never told me about them," He added.

Mia looked down at her plate, "I don't want to talk about it," She muttered.

"Why not?" Micah questioned, confused.

"Because I'm protecting them," Mia bluntly answered, looking up as she met his gaze.

His eyebrows furrowed, "From who?" He questioned.

"From the Empire," Mia answered, eyes narrowing, "I'm a Jedi, if anyone found out about my family they'd all be killed."

"Mia, I would never tell anyone about them," He assured her.

Mia looked away because she wasn't trusting enough to tell anyone in the Empire, even her own brother. She wouldn't trust someone with the knowledge of Anakin, Obi-wan or the twins. The stakes were too great to trust anyone.

"I don't want to talk about it," Mia stated firmly, giving him a look to drop it.

"Why not?" He pushed, frustrated.

"Why haven't you told me about your past?" Mia argued, "Beyond vague little comments?"

When he didn't answer her, she continued, "The reason you haven't told me anything is because you don't trust me anymore than I trust you," She told him.

Breakfast was eaten in silence.

July 1st, Four years post Galactic Empire

The sun had come up hours ago from the living room was dark and dismal, the curtains pulled. Anakin didn't check in for work. It was mandatory to report to his job every day but he'd called in and told them he wasn't up to it. He wasn't, not with Mia on another planet with a Sith. His stomach hurt and his head ached as the bond between him and Mia became strained with distance. For a few days they'd been close enough that he could sense her emotions but now they were so far apart that he could barely sense her. It almost felt like she was gone, gone entirely. Dead. The feeling made him too sick to even move. He kept assuring himself that she wasn't dead but he couldn't help but reach out for the faint little presence in his head, checking that it was still there. It was her birthday, a day they celebrated with a good dinner or a small gift.

He'd sent the twins to the daycare facility. In a month they'd be starting school. He didn't think he could bare them starting school and knowing Mia wouldn't see their first day. How much of their lives would she be forced to miss?

Would he even see her again?

Of course he would. He kept reminding himself that, holding onto that thought.

Sitting on the floor, leaned against the couch as he stared at one photo. It was a photo Mia didn't even know he had.

Obi-wan had been on a diplomatic mission so Anakin and Mia had been enjoying having the apartment to each other. It was the second day, in the late afternoon, when he'd taken the photo. Mia had been sitting on her reading chair, feet pressed into the cushion with her knees to her chest as she read a book, a cup of tea within reach. It was a quiet afternoon and he'd taken a picture to preserve the peaceful moment. It wasn't long before Obi-wan found out and made them end their relationship.

All these years and he'd still kept the photo, holding it dear to his heart. After everything, breaking up, the war, marrying Padme—which apparently Mia had known about all along—his fall to the dark side, the Purges, he'd kept that photo.

July 1st, Four years post Galactic Empire

As it turned out her brother had no plans in mind when it came to their birthday. At first she'd wondered why but then after about an hour wondering—as he hid away in his office making plans of some sort with the new information—she'd come to a conclusion why. Given her brother rarely talked about his childhood and that he'd been raised by Sith, there was no way he'd been allowed to celebrate his birthday.

So she let him be, deciding not to push it. Instead she spent some time in the library with a good book. The longer she read the worse her head hurt though. Giving up on it, Mia went to the dining room, figuring it was about time for lunch.

As he was serving lunch, Jarna told her that Micah planned to eat along. Confused, Mia watched him leave before sighing and looking down at her dinner.

The thought of eating made her feel sick though. As she slowly ate her soup her stomach began to turn over painfully until finally she gave up and went up to her room to take a bath, thinking it would ease the headache.

Walking out of the bathroom, Mia gently towel dried her hair and got dressed before sitting down on her bed, deciding to take a nap.

Or at least attempted to.

Her head continued to hurt, threatening to all out pound.

It worried her that they were so far away now when she was in the same place. Why had they moved? It was a question that was plaguing her thoughts since last night. Had Anakin gone looking for her?

It made sense but he wouldn't take the twins for a mission like that.

Had they left the rebellion?

That made even less sense. He wouldn't leave the rebellion, not when he was so determined to join.

One thought drifted into the forefront of her mind. They'd been transferred to another base.

Mia looked out the window where the sky had formerly been blue and filled with light. Now it was speckled with pink clouds, a contrast from the deep purple sky. Pinpricks of light were starting to dot the sky as the stars took over in the sun's place. The sky, in all its brilliance, had to be Mia's favorite thing about this planet.

Dinner would be ready soon. They weren't served until after the sun dipped under the horizon.

Standing slowly, Mia changed her crumpled red dress for a black one with deep blue and gold embroidery. In a way it reminded her very strongly of the sky outside. It reminded her of Verron.

She missed it, she missed the civilian life she led with Anakin.

It was in the past though.

Her fingers took strands of hair and slowly braided, relying on muscle memory as her mind drifted through memories of sun-filled meadows and mid-afternoon cups of tea with a book in hand as the person she loved the most sat on the other side of the bed, watching her like he thought she hadn't noticed, twisting strands of her hair.

She'd never forget those little memories that seemed so mundane when they played out, treasured in a future where they were separated.

Mia twisted her neck to look in the mirror, looking at the long, thick braid that fell against her back. Eyebrows furrowing, she turned around and stared at the long lock of hair from behind her left ear. Her Padawan braid. Sitting down on the cushioned stool, Mia lifted the lock of hair up and started braiding it slowly. When she was finished she wrapped the thicker braid in a twist at the nape of her neck and then proceeded to wrap the smaller braid around it. Pinning it in place with a hair tie, Mia picked up head covering from earlier this morning and put it on, a motion that was unfortunately, starting to become familiar.

Standing, she left her room, making her way to the dining room.

The sun had set by the time she'd reached the doors the sun had set. She stepped in slowly, not at all surprised to find Micah sitting in his usual seat. He stood when she walked in, making her way to what had become her usual seat. He pulled it out for her, as usual.

How was it that all this was slowly becoming normal to her, part of her reality?

An awkward silence filled the air as they both remembered their previous fight, sitting in the same seats, from earlier this morning.

"I'm sorry," Micah spoke up finally, breaking the silence.

Mia's eyebrows went up in surprise. He never apologized. He'd done it maybe once, on his ship when he'd questioned her about what she was doing on Ish'einda. She was pretty sure he hadn't meant the apology then but he meant it when he apologized now.

"I shouldn't have pried into your past, you haven't pried into mine," He told her quietly, looking down at the table. After a moment of silence, his grey eyes flickered to hers, the candle light bringing the gold flecks on his irises to focus.

"Apology accepted," She murmured.

The door opened and Jarna walked in, rolled the cart.

"Thank you Jarna," Mia whispered when he set a cup of tea in front of her.

He smiled softly as he placed the trays on the table. There was something he liked about Mia, whether it was her politeness and interest in everyone, even wait staff like himself, or the fact she was clearly intelligent, he liked her. He was also noticing the affect she had on her brother, the way he was almost happy with her around. That meant a great deal to him.

Mia smiled as he left and took a sip of her tea, watching as Micah served them both.

July 1st, Four years post Galactic Empire

The light from the moon could be seen through the branches of the trees above his head, refracting into little beams of light, making the trail in front of him just visible enough that he didn't trip on the rocks and roots. The route was unfamiliar still but it felt odd to walk it alone. Little cabins jutted out of the ground in unpredictable intervals, smoke wisping out the chimneys of some. The light drifting out the windows made small parts of the trail more visible.

Anakin was pretty sure he was lost.

Off in the distance were sounds of laughter and cheering from a group of twenty-somethings, possibly drunk.

He wasn't sure you could even get alcohol—that hadn't been mentioned when they arrived—on this base. There was a small lounge on Myrkr on one of the lower floors, it was cold and it smelled of stale beer but it was the only place you could get a drink. Alcohol wasn't allowed on base—at least, not officially and Anakin sometimes wondered who'd made the rule in the first place because somehow they seemed to get away with it.

Rounding a bend in the trail, Anakin spotted the mess hall through the trees, the lights from inside just visible. Picking up the pace, he made his way towards the mess hall.

It sat perched on a stilted platform raised high enough that you could walk under—though some would have to stoop. Below it, deep in the ground was a secret bunker. It wasn't as big and didn't go as far down as the one on Myrkr but it was where most of the Rebels on this base spend their time. It was where missions were planned, where training took place. It was where Mia would be working, as a doctor, if she was here now.

The sounds of chatter and even music, oddly enough, were easily heard even from this distance and as Anakin closed in on the dining hall he could see people standing on the deck, chatting and laughing. Going up the steps, Anakin made his way towards a side entrance, hoping to get his dinner as quietly as possible.

Just as he was nearing it, on the far side of the deck, deserted, the door opened. The light from inside spread out into the darkness as one man stepped out. Anakin stilled, recognizing him instantly. Claus Greyback turned as he noticed Anakin. Shock silence filled the air, neither one of them ever expecting to see the other.

In a second Anakin stumbled back, falling on the ground, stunned as pain bloomed across his jaw. Before he had a chance to properly react he was pulled up by his shirt and pushed against the wall.

"That's for the Jedi Order," Claus growled, grey eyes on fire almost.

His right arm pulled back right before connecting with his cheek. As the throbbing ache made itself known he dropped.

"That's for Mia," Claus growled as Anakin slid down the wall, stunned.

Anakin stared off into the distance as the other Jedi's footsteps faded away, lost in a sea of noise.

July 1st, Four years post Galactic Empire

The fire in the fireplace in front of them flickered slowly, slowly burning away thick logs. The light radiating from it lit up the subtle colors of Mia's eyes, highlighting the silver pigments, just a few gold flecks in her eyes. Soft padding footsteps approached slowly, silent save for the soft vibrations that echoed through the wood. Setting the two cups of tea on the coffee table, he sat down. Silence passed but it wasn't awkward, something Mia was grateful for.

"The reason I haven't told you anything about my childhood is because I didn't have one," He spoke up, breaking the long silence.

Mia turned and looked at him, eyes wide in surprise.

"Not a happy one," He added, leaning forward as he watched the fire flicker.

Mia opened her mouth to say something but wasn't sure what.

"There weren't any happy moments," He whispered.

Mia sat back, knowing it was best to just listen.

"The reason I thought you were dead is because I kept asking about you, where you were, calling your name," He murmured, "Finally it drove someone so nuts they told me you were dead."

He shook his head, "I didn't believe them, I didn't think it was possible," Micah sighed, "I was only three so my idea of dead, at the time, was very abstract. It didn't make much sense to me for a long time."

Mia looked away, thoughts and memories flickering through her head. Dreams of small, dark places and dizzying thoughts full of jumbled up sentences.

"After a while I just gave up," Micah whispered but there was so much left unsaid in that sentence, "I was about ten."

Micah leaned back against the couch, something very cold and tight in his chest, something that had been there since he started talking.

Nightmares, she had nightmares for as long as she could remember. Waking up with a jolt, a scream in her throat she hadn't heard and waking all the other girls in the room. The young Jedi who worked at the crèche at night rushing over, holding her and trying to calm her down. The memories of something entirely foreign to her, sound, resonating in her head and not being able to understand what it was. She was only a child, not even old enough to start classes.

Micah watched her for a long moment, almost able to hear the gears in her head whirling with thoughts. Silence persisted for a long while before Mia finally stuttered one word: "N-n-ight-ightmares."

His eyebrows furrowed, "Nightmares?" He repeated, confused.

"I had nightmares my entire childhood," She whispered like she couldn't believe it, turning to him after a moment, "Small cramped places, and, and," She trailed off, not able to completely explain them, they'd been with her her entire life and she'd never been able to properly explain them to another person.

The breath in his chest stilled and Micah's chest started to ache. Long hallways with tall windows, filled with so much light his eyes hurt. Silence and the strange feeling of not being alone, a rush of excitement followed by running down the hall like he was in trouble but not the kind he was used to. Freedom.

Silence went on a strangled little tune as they stared at each other, seeming to understand without words.

* * *

Review for a cookie, reviews are good for my soul, cookies are good for yours.


	20. We Feel Unbearable Pain

I can't believe it. I think I'll go into shock. I posted a new chapter within a week of the last one. Crazy.

I had originally gone into this chapter with an idea on how I wanted to write it but... That was literally obliterated by the second page. I like this better though.

* * *

July 2nd, Four years post Galactic Empire

_**Mia woke with arms around her waist and the sensation of someone's breath tickling the back of her neck in slightly uneven sighs. Blinking, she rolled over, still tangled up in Anakin's arms. He opened his eyes slowly like he was just starting to wake up. She smiled softly, planning to let him think she hadn't noticed him feigning sleep. Lifting her hand up, she brushed her thumb against his cheek before leaning in to kiss him softly. It lasted a moment before another kiss followed, longer and drawn out and they savored this little moment of peace.**_

"_**Good morning," She whispered.**_

"_**Good morning," He returned, a smile breaking through as he wound his fingers through her hair.**_

"_**Morning," She whispered back.**_

_**Anakin laughed breathlessly, "Morning," He breathed.**_

_**Mia looked past him, out the window where sunlight dominated the sky, filtered in through the trees outside. It was so strange, the way everything seemed to emanate light, like it was its own life force and everything was made up of little fragments of light.**_

"_**Breakfast?" He asked her, the rough pad of his thumb drifting just over her ear in slow, circular motions.**_

_**She crinkled her nose before a thought occurred and she smiled, "What if we just stayed here, stayed in bed?" Mia asked him.**_

"_**I think Luke and Leia would come bounding in and demanding breakfast," He murmured.**_

"_**There's always Obi-wan though," She laughed, "Who has still not yet found a way out of this little baby-sitter position he's put himself in."**_

"_**What about work?" He asked her.**_

_**Mia smiled, "They'll live," She replied easily.**_

_**Anakin snorted, "Bit of an odd statement, coming from you," He teased, pressing his forehead to hers.**_

_**She smiled with amusement as her hand combed through his hair, "Just stay," She whispered before kissing him again, long and slow, "Here," They kissed again, "With me."**_

Mia opened her eyes slowly, finding herself in a warm but empty bed. The room was still dark, the sun hadn't risen. She and Anakin were very far apart, not sharing a bed. Her head was pounding to the beat of her own heart, the chronic separation starting to strangle the bond she held with Anakin. After a moment of breathless silence, she drew in a shuddering breath, choking down tears. Pressing her knees to her chest, she hid under the thick comforter, breathing rapidly. Sobbing, she tried to calm down as she heaved in hot, oxygen deprived air.

It hurt, it all hurt, she didn't remember the last time she felt this much pain. Something was wrong, seriously wrong.

Pushing herself up slowly, she tried to get up before everything seemed to push her down, pinning her to the bed.

July 2nd, Four years post Galactic Empire

He woke up with a scream but it wasn't from a nightmare. It echoed through the air as he clutched his head, pain exploding through his skull. Everything was a blur of bright, painful, livid color. Anakin shut his eyes, trying to breathe. Somebody was gripping his arms, talking but it was all static noise.

"Anakin, Anakin, can you hear me?" Obi-wan called.

"What's wrong?!" Leia cried, terrified.

"Luke, take you sister downstairs," Obi-wan called as he reached for the radio comm. on the nightstand next to him, left there for Anakin when he started patrols today.

Luke hesitated for a split second before taking Leia's hand and leading her away. "No!" She shouted, refusing as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"This is Obi-wan Kenobi, I need medics to cabin 36 now," He called over the radio, not caring who was on the other line.

"Anakin, can you hear me?" Obi-wan called, wondering if Anakin was even aware he was there.

Watching his Padawan scream in pain, breathing shallow and rapid, brought back very strong, very painful memories. He was helpless to stop any of the pain his brother was feeling. The person on the other line of the radio called out for more information but Obi-wan focused solely on keeping his Padawan still, whispering any encouraging words he could think of.

Suddenly the screaming stopped and the rigidness in Anakin's body went slack.

Panicked, Obi-wan pressed two fingers to his neck, checking for a pulse. He found it but it was weak and thready. The pain was too much for his body to take. He was unconscious and if he was unconscious that he fully aware of the pain. Maybe that was a mercy.

It didn't feel that way.

July 2nd, Four years post Galactic Empire

Claus sat down with a cup of coffee, rubbing his forehead. He was pulling a double shift and it was proving to be a long one. It was a large base but most of the patients he saw either came in for routine checkups or after a training accident. There were patients who came in injured after a mission but he didn't usually get those sorts of patients.

The door to his office came in, "Greyback, we got one for you," Dr. Niyor announced, handing him a file, "You're going to love this one."

Eyebrows furrowing, he opened the file.

"Skywalker," He whispered, not able to believe his luck.

_**That's going to go over well**_, Claus sarcastically thought as he stood, leaving his tiny little office where he had been taking his break.

As he walked down the hall towards the right room he skimmed the file, motioning for Reina, a nurse, to follow him. The door slid open and he stepped in, looking up from the file for the first time. The sight was a shocker. Anakin Skywalker on a hospital bed, motionless and pale. Next to him was Obi-wan, holding a little girl with tear-stained cheeks, a little boy the same age sitting next to them, trying to comfort her. Obi-wan looked up and shock immediately registered on his face.

Turning to Reina, he requested, "Could you get something for the kids, coloring books or a book?"

Nodding, Reina turned to leave.

Stepping further into the room, he glanced at the monitor tracking Anakin's vitals. His heart rate was abnormally fast.

"He came in here for pain?" Claus clarified, not able to make complete sense of the quickly written chart.

"I woke up and he was screaming," Obi-wan paused, looking sick, "Clutching his head, he was in too much pain to tell me what was wrong."

Claus nodded, "Was he showing any signs of pain in the last few days?" He inquired.

Obi-wan swallowed thickly, "Yes, yesterday he couldn't go into work, he said he felt sick to his stomach, had a headache," He stopped, looking at his former Padawan for a moment before opening his mouth and closing it again.

"Okay, we'll get some scans and blood work done," He told Obi-wan.

At that moment Reina stepped in with two blank pads of paper and a box of crayons. Walking in, she kneeled down so she was on the twin's level, "Hi, I'm Reina, what's you name?" She asked the little girl.

"Leia," She mumbled, looking down.

"What a pretty name," Reina whispered, smiling. It was enough to have Leia looking up again.

Stepping out, Claus walked through the desolate halls towards the nurses' station to order several scans. The abandoned feeling of the empty halls lost on him, a product of the early morning hour.

July 2nd, Four years post Galactic Empire

Micah stared out the window behind him, looking for a distraction as he wondered what was taking Mia so long get to breakfast. The food had arrived the better part of an hour ago but she hadn't showed. Was something wrong?

Just as he was considering going up to check on her the door opened suddenly and a girl—Yemma, he remembered—rushed in, looking frantic.

"It's Mia, something's wrong," She told him urgently.

Standing immediately, Micah followed her out the room and into the halls. Going up the stairs two at a time, he passed Yemma, rushing to get to his sister. All but throwing the door open, he stepped in. Mia laying on her bed, curled up in a ball, crying as Sarvana and another woman crouched over her, trying to soothe her, was a terrifying sight.

"I came in to change the sheets and she was crying," Yemma explained, looking near tears herself.

Rushing to her side, he crouched down. Her eyes were shut tight as she bit her lip, whimpering.

"What's wrong?" He questioned, a cold sense of dread filling his chest.

"She just said her head hurts," Yemma answered, sniffling.

"She needs a doctor," He stated, picking her up in his arms.

She felt so light, too light, in his arms, one hand gripping the fabric of his shirt as she buried her head in his chest, gasping for air. Sarvana and the other maid stepped out of the way as he left the room, trying to move quickly without jostling his sister, afraid the movement might hurt her further. His mind was spinning, how did he get Mia to the right kind of doctor, a doctor he trusted? Nobody on this planet had the means to cure her .He couldn't take her to his ship, if any of them recognized Mia she'd be killed or worse, be handed over to Darth Sidious. That couldn't happen, it just couldn't.

July 2nd, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin had been taken for scans almost an hour ago, ten minutes Obi-wan spent either staring at the wall or trying to keep Luke or Leia from worrying about their father. The only sort of mother either of them had known was taken by a Sith, nobody knowing where she was or what had happened to her. Anakin had to come out of this, whatever it was, the twins couldn't lose their father.

The nurse, Reina, was wonderful enough to check up on them regularly, making sure they were doing okay. At one point she'd walked in with a cookie for each of them, probably from the mess hall above their heads.

Leia sighed as she continued drawing, looking over her shoulder every minute to see when her dad was coming back.

"Ben, when's Daddy coming back?" Leia asked, looking up at Obi-wan.

"Soon," He told her, "The doctors are trying to find out what's making him hurt."

Leia huffed and rolled her eyes, "You said 'soon' two times already," She muttered, looking back down at her drawing, a Get-Well card.

Obi-wan looked over at her, feeling very strongly reminded of Mia just then. It made him wonder where she was, if she was okay.

The swishing sound of the doors sliding open made him look up as one of the technicians for whatever tests Anakin had just gone through rolled the bed in. He looked the same as before, pale and motionless, jaw and cheek bruised—something Obi-wan hadn't noticed until nurses had started hooking him up to machines. Leia and Luke automatically stood up, thinking maybe he was better now. Luke bit his lip the second he realized nothing had changed. He hadn't said much, not since everything started, just enough to comfort Leia and keep her from crying. He hated seeing his sister cry.

"Why isn't he getting better?" Leia asked Obi-wan, looking ready to cry again.

Obi-wan scooped her up in his arms, holding her close, "We just need to give him time, he's going to get better," He promised.

"How do you know that?" Leia asked, her voice muffled as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Because I know the doctor and he is very good at what he does, he's one of the best," Obi-wan assured her, "And I know your dad, he's too tough, he'll get better."

Leia looked up, seeming to take that as proof enough and wiped a stray tear off her cheek.

July 2nd, Four years post Galactic Empire

He watched from the back of the ship as Mia cried, fingers tangled up in her messy hair as she shut her eyes. The ship rocked as it entered hyperspace, guided by the pilot, he should probably be strapped in but to hell with it all. Micah stared at his sister and felt completely helpless, something he hadn't felt in a long time. It terrified him, being so afraid for the well-being of another person, something he'd never experienced before now. He'd never been so concerned for another person, he'd never had anyone he'd cared about enough to worry about. The tightness in his chest, the raw panic, made him struggle to breathe. The only facility capable of helping her that he trusted enough was three hours away. Who knew if they could help her?

"Make it stop!" She whimpered, the first coherent thing she'd managed to say since he found her like this.

She gasped, crying out in pain.

He didn't have anything on board that could help the pain, not this kind of pain. He didn't know what to do.

One hand lifted up, almost with a will of its own, and settled on her shoulder, "You'll be okay, I promise," He told her, "We're going to get you help."

If she'd heard him, he didn't know, but she leaned into the touch, at least finding some comfort in it.

July 2nd, Four years post Galactic Empire

Flipping the switch, Claus Greyback pressed the scan films to the light board. The light filtered through the dark film, lighting up the brain scans. His eyes widened as he read them, understanding almost immediately what was wrong. Paling, he sat down, mind swimming through every possibility, very few in number. Scrubbing his hand over his face, he read over the blood sample results, hoping he was wrong.

He was very rarely wrong.

This wasn't the case.

Swallowing thickly, he stood and went down the hall towards the room where Anakin and his family stayed. In the last hour or so the infirmary had picked up, doctors clocking in and getting ready to see patients.

Walking into the room, he check Anakin's vitals. The same. Fast heart rate, low oxygen saturation, motionless. Sighing, he looked over at Obi-wan who'd stood up almost immediately.

"Is there any news?" Obi-wan questioned, depositing Leia down on the seat behind him.

"There is," Claus answered, "Come with me."

Obi-wan cast a glance at the twins, wondering if leaving for even a minute was a good idea.

"Reina," Claus called.

The young nurse tucked a lock of dark brown behind her ear as she stepped into the room, smiling the instant she saw the twins, "Can I see what you drew?" She asked Luke.

Looking over his shoulder one last time, Obi-wan stepped into the hall with Claus. Approaching the unused light board in the hall, Claus flipped it on and pinned the film to it. Obi-wan stared at the brain scans, unable to make sense of what was wrong

Claus pointed to one image of Anakin's brain from the side. "This here is the limbic system," He explained, his finger tracing over it, "It's swollen, that's what's causing the pain."

He turned to Obi-wan, "The midichlorians in his blood are also swelling," He added.

Obi-wan's eyebrows furrowed, "What does this mean, is it curable?" He questioned.

"We can give him strong anti-inflammatory for the swelling but it's just a band-aid," Claus explained.

Obi-wan pinched the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes as the brain scan floated in his mind. "Do you know what's causing it?" He asked,

"I've seen one case like this before. It happened between a Master and his Padawan," Claus explained, "The Padawan was only about fourteen and the Master went on a mission without him to the outer rim. The Padawan was having near constant headaches and nausea, he'd come in to see us."

Claus swallowed, "This kid looked up to his Master as a sort of father figure, they were very close," He explained, "Nobody realized just how close though."

"Then the Master died on the mission," He continued, swallowing thickly, "The pain was immense, lasted about an hour before finally it all stopped."

"He had the same symptoms as Anakin," Claus concluded.

Obi-wan paled, starting to understand.

"Has he been separated from someone he was very close to?" Claus asked, afraid he already knew the answer.

Obi-wan stumbled, leaning heavily on the wall. One of the nurses looked up and carried a chair over.

"Maybe you should sit down?" She suggested, setting the chair in front of him.

Nodding slowly, Obi-wan dropped down in the chair, holding his head in hands. "Mia," He muttered.

Claus paled, feeling light-headed himself.

"How close are they?" He asked, "They were close before the Purges but…"

The long silence hung in the air. After a long moment Obi-wan sat up, "The day of the fall Mia and I were going to stop Anakin. He and I fought but then last minute Mia stopped us. I don't know how, I was out, but she got through to him."

Claus pulled a rolling chair over, sensing this was going to be a long conversation.

"I wasn't there for the first few years after the Empire started but from my understanding she more or less helped Anakin come back from the dark side," He explained.

Claus's eyebrows furrowed, "How is that possible?" He questioned, not believing it.

"I don't know, I never thought it was possible until I actually saw him again, about a year ago," Obi-wan sighed, "That night will haunt him for the rest of his life but somehow he managed to come back to the light side. I've seen it, he's a completely different person than he was that night and the days leading up to it."

"Before the war, before either of them were even knighted they'd kept a secret relationship for about two years," Obi-wan told him.

His eyebrows went up with shock.

"I found out about it and I made them end it," Obi-wan continued. "After the war though, after the Empire," He sighed, "They're in love Claus."

Nodding slowly, he leaned back against the chair, sighing.

"If, if the pain ends then," He looked down at his hands, "If the pain goes away then that means most likely…"

"Then it means Mia's dead," Obi-wan finished, "Claus, your daughter's stronger than that."

Claus looked up for a moment, swallowing thickly, "I've already lost my son, I don't think I can lose her too," He mumbled.

"If the pain doesn't go away?" Obi-wan asked, getting him back on track.

"If the pain goes away it means she still alive but it also means she's experiencing the same pain. The bond is hurting them both and if they aren't reunited soon they could die," Claus explained, "If we can't reunite them though, there is one alternative."

Obi-wan sat up, ready to hear it.

"Anakin's going to have to break the bond between them, the pain will only last for a few minutes but Anakin won't be able to sense her, not like before, he won't know if she's alive or dead. Mia won't know what happened, she'll think he died," He explained, feeling cold inside.

"Anakin won't want to break the bond," Obi-wan pointed out, "He's terrified of losing her, not knowing if she's okay would kill him."

Claus nodded, "I know the feeling," He mumbled, "I'm going to go put in the order for an anti-inflammatory, something for nausea in case it makes an appearance and something for the pain."

Nodding, Obi-wan watched him walk off towards the nurses station, "One more thing Claus," Obi-wan spoke up, realizing Anakin probably got the bruises on his face from the night before. "You wouldn't happen to know how Anakin got those bruises?"

Claus stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Observant as ever, Obi-wan," Claus murmured before walking away.

July 2nd, Four years post Galactic Empire

They'd been in hyperspace for a little over two hours and already she seemed to be improving, the pain was gradually becoming more bearable. She laid on the little cot in the back of a ship that was unfamiliar to her, eyes shut and an arm covering them to block out all light. Her head pounded steadily, bringing with it light sensitivity and auras, making sight a difficult thing to tolerate. What a cruel thing for a deaf person.

She couldn't decide if the steady sounds of the ship as it flew through hyperspace was bothering her or not. They rattled and they hummed softly to a calm rhythm but she wondered if blocking it all out would ease the pain.

Part of her wanted so bad to just let go, let go of all sound. Let go of everything.

The feeling of Micah's fingers through her hair was foreign but comforting, combing hairs away from her face. With her free hand she tried to wipe away the dried tears, wondering how much longer it would be until—

Suddenly she was rolling over the edge of the cot, reaching blindly for the bin as she threw up again, acidic bile coming up from her empty stomach.

_**When the body becomes dehydrated it starts exhibiting the following symptoms: thirst, exhaustion, decreased urination, dry skin, headache…**_

She went on mentally reciting symptoms from one of her human anatomy textbooks, anything to distract her from the pounding in her head and the fact she felt like she'd throw up at the slightest inclination.

_**Symptoms of severe dehydration: extreme thirst, very dry mouth and skin, little to no urination, confusion, low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing, fever…**_

On and on, reciting anything that came to mind. Breathing slowly, she swallowed thickly, wishing she could keep liquids down.

"We're almost there," Micah told her, "I've already called the facility, they'll be ready for you when we land."

Sniffling, she nodded.

"How do you feel?" He asked her.

"_Like someone drove an icepick through my skull_," Mia signed with her right hand, feeling unusually blunt as her hands shook, jerking through each word.

From the silence she knew he didn't understand a word of it but decided not to ask given her pain. Instead he settled on silence, waiting impatiently for them to exit hyperspace. The sooner they got to a doctor, the better.

The minutes ticked by slowly until the pilot finally spoke up, "We'll be jumping out of hyperspace in five minutes sir."

Nodding, Micah looked down at his sister, startled by the way her left arm had suddenly gone slack and she'd stopped shaking. After a moment of panic he realized she'd lost consciousness. That wasn't very reassuring though.

When they landed on the platform, he carried her out to the ship and to the nurses standing next to a gurney, ready to take her in. Setting her on the thin foam mattress, covered by a sheet, he watched as the nurses rushed her in. Running to keep up, he followed them to a small room. Locking the bed in place, the nurses rushed around her.

"She's here for pain?" One nurse asked him.

"Yes, yes uh terrible migraine, she was in tears," Micah answered, "She was throwing up the whole way here."

The nurse turned to the doctor, dressed in green, "Possible brain aneurism?" She suggested.

"Put in an order for an AMBS," The doctor instructed.

"Sorry, a what?" Micah spoke up, confused.

"Auto-magnetic brain scan," The doctor answered, "Was she experiencing any pain lately?"

He thought back to the last week, "A few small headaches but nothing like this," He told them.

The doctor nodded, "Any chance she might be pregnant?" He asked.

Micah paused, not knowing. He knew very little about Mia, about her life after the Purges. She had a family and she was part of a charity to help the sick—which he thought might be a lie—but he didn't know anything else.

"I don't know," He answered.

Nodding, the doctor turned to the nurse, "Get a blood sample and start and IV, I want her on fluids and something for the nausea," He told her.

July 2nd, Four years post Galactic Empire

The first thing he noticed was the way his head was pounding steadily like a heartbeat. It echoed in his ears and seemed to travel from the back of his head to the front. This wasn't like waking up with a hangover, not that he'd ever gotten drunk enough to get a hangover. He was never very interested in drinking, not really, especially not after the twins were born. It wasn't a hangover and he didn't normally get migraines so for a while he couldn't figure out why his head hurt so back.

Then he noticed the smell of antiseptic and the sound of machines beeping.

_**Hospital**_, he realized with a groan, _**Concussion, I'm sure**_.

"Anakin?" Obi-wan called, the sound making his headache hurt worse, "Anakin, can you hear me?"

"_**Anakin, can you hear me?" **_The words came back with the memory of unbearable pain, feeling like his head was exploding and the sound of screaming as he kicked off the sheets, not knowing what else to do as his pain took over every sensation.

"_Anakin, quick, what's the most sarcastic thing you can think of?_" She asked him once, during the war. It was an invasion and they were protecting a small outer-rim planet from the Separatists. There had been an explosion. Fortunately nobody was seriously injured but he'd hit his head and gotten a concussion that left his ears ringing for a week after. She'd had to sign for him, translating to the doctors. It was the only time he'd gotten any real sense of what life was like for her. "_That for once I'd like my nurse to take blood on the first try_."

"Not your most clever response, Master," He muttered, not hearing the way he was slurring as he struggled to open his eyes.

In an instant two sets of small arms were around him, shrieks of joy. Looking up at the twins, grinning from ear to ear with relief at him, he wondered how long he'd been out.

"Are you feeling better?" Leia asked eagerly.

_**No**_, he thought. "Yeah," He lied.

The swishing sound had him looking to his left as the door opened and in stepped Claus Greyback, looking surprised to see him awake.

_**Great**_, he thought sarcastically. Turning to Obi-wan, Anakin signed: "_Really?_"

"Yes, really," Claus spoke up, surprising Anakin.

Obi-wan sighed, sensing there was going to be a very long medical conversation that would, given the previous night, contain some not-so-nice words. "Luke, Leia, I think we need to finally get you two some lunch," He decided, standing.

"I want to stay," Luke disagreed.

"I'm staying," Leia seconded, crossing her arms.

"Have either of you even had breakfast?" Anakin asked, sensing the answer.

Leia nodded, "Reina, one of the nurses, she got us cookies," She replied.

"I bet you're super hungry though," Anakin drawled out, laughing when both twins looked away, "Go get lunch, I'll still be here when you get back."

Leia narrowed her eyes at him like she sensed a trick.

"You should get lunch, I'll be fine," He assured her before smiling, "Please?"

Sighing, Leia hopped off the bed, "Fine but you better be awake when I get back," She told him, reminding him of Mia.

"Of course," Anakin agreed with a slightly mischievous grin, "Wouldn't dream of falling asleep on you Princess."

Luke lingered for a moment, "Promise you'll still be awake?" He asked.

"Promise," He murmured.

Nodding, Luke hopped off the bed and followed Obi-wan and his sister out the hospital room. The door closing behind him, Anakin looked up.

"Should I bother being concerned that you're my doctor?" Anakin asked him sarcastically.

Claus sighed, "Please, like I'd ever do anything to a patient," He muttered tiredly, fully reminded he hadn't had any sleep in about twenty four hours.

Shrugging, Anakin watched a Claus opened his folder and pulled out a piece of paper. "We did some brain scans," He stated, holding out the paper.

Taking it hesitantly, Anakin looked at the different pictures of his brain from different angles. He didn't know much about medicine but Mia had explained to him the different parts of the brain and their functions once.

"This is your limbic system," Claus told him, pointing to one image in particular.

"It controls emotions and things, right?" Anakin asked, remembering Mia's lesson from when she was completing her medical training.

"Right," Claus confirmed as he pulled Obi-wan's chair over, sitting down, "It's swollen, that's what's causing the pain," He explained, "We've given you some medications to reduce swelling but that's just a temporary solution."

"The midichlorians in your blood are also swelling," He added.

"So do you know why shit's hitting the fan?" Anakin questioned, his headache starting to return at the mere thought of his brain swelling.

"It's because of the bond you and Mia share through the Force," He answered.

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed together, "No, that doesn't make sense," He argued, not believing it.

"When two people who share a bond are separated, across a wide distance, the bond becomes strained because it's trying to keep the two of you connected. That's what's causing the swelling and pain," Claus explained, "The both of you are experiencing this pain and if this isn't fixed it has the potential to kill you both."

Anakin swallowed, "How do we fix it?" He asked.

"Ideally we reunite you," Claus explained, "If we can't you're going to have to break the bond and save the both of you."

Anakin leaned back, feeling sick.

"And, Mia, she's feeling this too?" He asked.

Claus nodded, "She is and she won't know why she's in pain."

Scrubbing his hand over his face tiredly, Claus swallowed, "I know this isn't easy to hear," He murmured, "I hate it too, I'm sorry."

Anakin swallowed thickly, "How much time do we have?" He asked.

"I've only seen one case like this between a Master-Padawan pair and the Master died in the line of duty so I don't know how long they would have had otherwise but," Claus answered sadly, his voice quiet, "We can extend whatever time you have with medicine but Mia's not going to get the same kind of care from the Empire. She's lucky to even be alive at this point."

Nodding slowly, Anakin looked down, wondering what was happening to her now.

"How do you feel?" Claus asked.

Anakin looked up at the Jedi, "I feel like death," He stated bluntly before looking away, "But it's nothing compared to knowing she's in pain."

July 2nd, Four years post Galactic Empire

The first thing she was aware of was the ache in her head, just short of throbbing but not nearly as bad as before. The second thing she was aware of was the rough blankets on top of her and the smell of antiseptic. Part of her demanded to know what the hell she was doing in a hospital but the rest of her knew why. She remembered waking up with explosions in her head and the world spinning as she struggled to breathe, panic crawling through her body as the pain made impossible to even think, to even call for help.

"Please explain to me why it is every hospital across the galaxy is exactly the same in almost every single way?" Mia muttered, her voice distant and disconnected from her body as she waited for sound to return, "I hate this."

The sounds of erratic and quick beeping and someone sitting up in their chair filled her ears as sound began to return, quiet to the point of almost being muted but there nonetheless. Opening her eyes, she looked to the left. Surprise and disappointment echoed in her as she realized it wasn't Anakin in that chair. Micah sat up, looking relieved to see her awake.

"You're up," He murmured.

"Clearly," Mia sighed as she read his lips, feeling rather sarcastic.

He stood up, "How do you feel?" He asked her.

Mia held out her hands, motioning to her surroundings, "Obviously not well," She pointed out as she looked at the I.V. hooked up to her right arm. "Goody," Mia muttered in dismay.

"Have they done any kind of tests on me?" She asked, looking up for a moment before smirking, "Force, are you wearing civilian clothes in public?"

"A few brain scans, blood sample," Micah answered, sighing as he ignored her observation, "The doctor's supposed to come by with the results."

Sighing, Mia held her hands to her head, wishing the pain would just go away. Silence took over as they sat in the hospital room, nothing left to say.

The curtain was pulled open as a middle aged man dressed in green walked in. _**Doctor**_, she realized.

"Well, I've looked at the brain scans," He announced as he walked in.

"Can I see them?" Mia requested immediately.

He looked at her, surprised. Nodding he retreated out the room, the muted and indistinguishable sounds of words floating through the air. Mia frowned as she realized they'd probably given her something for pain. Certain pain medications restricted her ability to use the Force. The medical history in her Jedi file had a blacklist of medications she refused to take because of that.

A few minutes later he returned with a long envelope, handing them to Mia. Pulling them out, Mia held them up to the light despite the way the light made her headache come back with a vengeance. Her eyes widened as she realized immediately what was wrong.

The doctor opened his mouth to speak before Mia cut him off, "Limbic system's swollen," Mia murmured, not quite believing it.

Micah and the doctor looked at her, surprised.

"I'm a doctor," She explained as she slid the slides into the folder.

Micah looked like he didn't know if he should be surprised or not. "Wait, what's the limbic system?" He asked as the question occurred to him.

"It is basically the emotion control center of your brain," Mia explained, "I codes human behavior and motivation and the way we process relationships."

The doctor mouth opened for a minute, "Well, uh, the blood test came up with some interesting results," The doctor told her, "Miss Rosslyn, you have an unusually high midichlorian count but I'm afraid the midichlorians, from what I can tell, are swelling as well."

Mia nodded slowly, numb.

"We've given you an anti-inflammatory and something for the pain and nausea," The doctor added. Mia wondered if he'd ever actually tell her his name. That seemed like a basic thing to tell patients, she did it all the time.

He turned towards Micah, his hands moving as he gestured.

"Sorry, can you face me when you talk?" Mia requested, "I'm deaf, I have to read lips."

He turned to her, surprised. _**Deaf and a doctor, how peculiar**_, Mia thought with annoyance.

"The medications should counter-act the symptoms but we're afraid you'll most likely need a surgeon," He explained, facing her.

She sighed, surgery was probably useless. She didn't think there was anything they could really do to help her.

"We don't have the resources to perform such an operation," He continued.

Looking up suddenly, Mia's eyebrows furrowed, "What do you mean, you don't have the resources?" She questioned.

"We're a very small facility in a wide branch of hospitals. There is one option though," He explained.

Mia sighed, wishing the doctor took her a bit more seriously than this. She wasn't some fragile little girl afraid of surgery and on the verge of tears. She wasn't helpless because she was deaf or relied on reading lips to understand the people around her.

"We have a sister hospital on another planet closer towards the middle rim, they have some of the best brain surgeons and the right tools to do it painlessly," The doctor told her, "Since you came here first and not there they're acting under our full-confidentiality agreement, they cannot tell anyone, not even the Emperor, about this.

If the situation wasn't so serious, Micah might have smirked just a little at the irony.

"We can transport you there, with the right combination of the medications you'll get there with minimal pain," He concluded.

Mia turned to look at her brother, wondering what he thought.

"How soon can you transport her?" He questioned without looking at her, not needing to even think about it.

"We can get her on a ship tonight," The doctor answered.

After he left Mia turned to Micah, "_This is why I wish you knew sign language_," She spoke, signing.

He sighed, "_I have_ been trying _to learn_," He told her, his movements slow and awkward, "_I was_ planning _to_ surprise _you_."

A grin broke out on her face, "_Really?_" She asked, surprised.

"_I am_ really terrible at it though," Micah added, shrugging.

"_Yeah, because everyone can learn a language in a few days_," Mia replied sarcastically.

July 2nd, Four years post Galactic Empire

It was around dinner time and Anakin was getting restless in the hospital bed. Part of it was because he'd never been a very good patient, as Mia sometimes put it, but it was mostly because something had changed. Mia was closer, still distant but her presence was brighter, more tangible. It was a relief to know she was out there, somewhere, but at the same time it was heartbreaking knowing she was still just out of reach. It was made worse with the knowledge that even if he did know where she was, he was useless to try and save her from a hospital bed.

Leia sat at the end of his bed, a drawing pad placed on a rolling tray that had held his lunch at one point, coloring a garden. It had a tree and lots of flower bushes. Luke sat on the chair Obi-wan had previously occupied, head resting on his shoulder as he dosed away.

The door opened at Obi-wan walked in with a bag full of food. Leia perked up as Obi-wan set down a sandwich and apple down for her.

"Luke, wake up, Ben's back with food," Leia announced as Obi-wan nudged the boy awake.

Luke groaned, "Tired," He mumbled.

"If you want I can take you home so you can get some rest," Obi-wan offered.

"No, I'm up," He grumbled, opening his eyes as he took the offered sandwich and orange from Obi-wan, "Did you get a cookie?"

"I did," Obi-wan agreed, "You can have it after you eat."

Leia looked up from her sandwich, "I get one too, right?" She checked.

"Of course," Obi-wan assured her as he leaned against the counter.

Looking over at Anakin, he sighed. While his former Padawan looked a little bit more lively and didn't seem to be in pain, he looked exhausted.

"How do you feel?" He asked.

"Better," Anakin answered, glad he didn't have to lie this time.

After Luke and Leia had finished their dinner and enjoyed their cookies Obi-wan had insisted they leave to give Anakin his rest. Anakin watched as they left, heading back to the house he and his family had been assigned upon arrival. Leia was already starting to refer to it as home but to Anakin it didn't feel like home if Mia wasn't there too.

Sighing, he settled down into the hospital bed, rolling onto his side as he closed his eyes, memories of Mia drifting through his mind as he went to sleep.

July 3rd, Four years post Galactic Empire

Last night was spent on a ship heading towards the second facility in the middle rim, most of which Mia had spent asleep, the pain medication making her sleepy. She woke up just before they were coming out of hyperspace, not at all surprised to see her brother awake. As the ship shook she tried to ask him in sign if he'd slept at all, her throat thick and dry because the doctors wouldn't let her have anything to drink in case she had surgery. Most of what she asked was lost in translation though.

They arrived on the planet when it was just entering its night cycle. Admitted right away, the nursing staff had brought her to her room. To her great relief it wasn't the nicest room meant for the rich, she was getting very tired of that. It did have a great view of two red mountains off in the distance that almost glowed in the moonlight like fire.

"You know, you're going to crash sooner or later," Mia told Micah as he walked in with a cup of coffee, seeing him through the reflection in the window in front of her.

"I've gone much longer than this without sleep," He dismissed straight away before realizing she wasn't even looking at him. He could have repeated it but she'd probably have a sarcastic response at the ready.

Mia turned away from the window and its beautiful view to look at him, "You know, they have this really comfortable arm chair in the corner," She suggested, pointing to her right. "You could get some sleep."

"I'd rather be awake," He replied.

"Yeah, and what use are you going to be exhausted?" Mia questioned.

"I don't think I could sleep if I wanted to," He muttered as he moved to stand next to her, looking out at the red mountains ahead.

Her eyebrows furrowed, "_Why is that?_" She asked him, her hands moving slowly for his sake.

Micah took a long time answering her because it was a complex answer, it was for him at least. These were new emotions he'd never really felt before.

"_I'm_ worried," He admitted finally, "_I've never really_ felt _that before_, not about someone else, _I mean_."

Mia smiled faintly, "I do believe I'm growing on you," She murmured.

"Yeah, you are," He whispered, staring out at the mountains.

They stood there for a moment, in a content silence, looking out the window at the stars.

"Your family, they're probably really worried about you too, aren't they?" He guessed, breaking the silence.

Mia sighed through her nose and nodded slowly.

"Do you want to see them or talk to them? Let them know you're okay?" Micah asked her.

Mia turned and looked out the window, wishing she could just talk to them, just once. She longed to hear Anakin's voice, hear the way he told her he loved her. She wanted to hear the joyful laughter of the twins and Obi-wan telling her to get better and that they'd see her soon.

But that just wasn't possible. Not if she wanted to keep herself safe.

"That's probably not for the best," She whispered.

"Are you sure?" He checked.

Sighing, Mia nodded slowly.

"I understand," He whispered.

"You should get some sleep," Mia told him, turning to meet his eyes, "I'll be okay."

He opened his mouth to argue but Mia pinned him with her best 'Do as I say, I'm the adult here' look, the one that got Luke and Leia to go to bed with little fuss. Relenting, he nodded and moved to sit down on the armchair in the corner, figuring it was for the best anyway. He'd never faced the all-out wrath of Mia but he got the sense that it was probably better if he didn't experience it.

Mia leaned against the wall as exhaustion started to come. She'd had a full night's rest but this, this pain and the emotional distress of being so away from her family, was exhausting. This could kill her, if they didn't find out what was causing the swelling, didn't take care of it, it could kill her. Would she even see them again?

She wanted so bad to leave, to go back to them. She'd be abandoning her brother but he wasn't her only family. Maybe she cared about her family more than her own brother. Maybe that was terrible but to hell with it all. She couldn't bear the thought of never seeing Anakin again, it made her chest hurt and her stomach turn.

As much as she wanted to sit down with the exhaustion creeping up on her, she kept standing, looking out the window at the stars as she considered her options and started planning.

She could leave now, while he slept. She could leave, it would be so easy. There wasn't any Empire presence on this planet, Micah had more or less confirmed that to her. She could steal a ship. She could run and she could disappear and she would find her way back home.

July 3rd, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin stirred awake, eyes opening slowly to a dark and unfamiliar room. A very familiar presence echoed through his mind, dulled by distance but she was there, somewhere in the universe. They were closer. Rolling over, he stared at the curtain that had been pulled in front of the glass of the sliding door keeping out most of the light. He had no idea what time it was, there were no windows, given they were underground, and the halls were probably always lit as nurses checked up on them.

Closing his eyes, he focused on that little presence even as his head started to throb painfully at the effort. He didn't notice the way his heartbeat was starting to race or the way his chest felt tight.

The curtain opened and Claus Greyback stepped in, bringing with him the light. He looked at Anakin, eyes closed and breathing shallow.

"Anakin, I swear to," He trailed off.

Anakin opened his eyes slowly, looking up at the Jedi, skin pale and shadows under his eyes, "No offence but you look like hell," He muttered.

"Says the person in the hospital bed," Claus grumbled, "I haven't gotten a full night's rest in about two days so I don't really want to hear it."

"You know, your mood swings are giving me whiplash," Anakin stated with a slightly teasing smirk, "First you knock the hell out of me, which you only got away with since I felt like crap, then next morning you're suddenly concerned for my health and now you're getting sick of me?"

Claus pinched the bridge of his nose as a tension headache started to build up. Mia had once told him Anakin was the worst patient she'd ever had, it was mostly teasing but he was starting to remember just how difficult he was at times.

"You're my patient, of course I'm concerned for your well-being," He reminded Anakin, "I'm a doctor."

"How are you feeling?" Claus asked, changing the subject.

Anakin sighed and stared at the wall ahead of him, "She's closer, I can feel it but if I focus on it my head starts to hurt again," He answered.

"That's good, her being closer I mean," Claus stated but part of him wondered why it was she was moving. If she was moving as frequently as Anakin said she had then it meant their condition could change rapidly, for better or worse.

"I'm going to order another brain scan, just to check up on the swelling," Claus explained.

Groaning, Anakin nodded his consent, knowing it was necessary.

"Besides the headache, is there any nausea?" Claus asked.

"Not really but I do feel exhausted, like laying down in this bed is physically draining," Anakin answered, leaning against the pillows.

Nodding, Claus blinked against the tension headache. He hadn't seen a case last this long, he didn't know the long term effects of a separation like this; he didn't know how much time Anakin and Mia had.

"Right, I'll check up on you later," Claus told him, knowing he needed to take care of his other patients too.

Watching the Jedi leave, Anakin closed his eyes, deciding more sleep was in order.

July 3rd, Four years post Galactic Empire

The night progressed slowly. The nurses rarely checked up on her and since the dark room made lip reading impossible, conversation wasn't exactly possible. Part of her hoped they'd get her a translator but it also meant letting them think she was helpless. It wouldn't do her much good if she couldn't understand what they were saying though.

Most of the night she spent in bed, feeling too weak and tired to even get out of bed. That didn't work well for her chances of leaving, not if she felt like this.

Rolling over, she faced the wall, remembering the warm force signature, out there somewhere in the universe. They were all out there somewhere and she'd find a way back to them, somehow.

Something felt wrong all of a sudden, cold and dark. Sitting up, she turned to Micah, watching as he moved restlessly in his sleep. Part of her wanted to reach out to him but given the violence he'd faced growing up that was the worst idea she could possibly have.

"Micah," She called, "Micah wake up, it's just a dream."

Standing, Mia rolled her I.V. stand around the bed, standing even as the room started to tilt.

"Micah, it's just a dream, you need to wake up," She told him firmly, trying to wake up.

The restlessness grew worse. Reaching out, Mia gently touched her hand to his shoulder. In an instant he was up an alert, the grey in his eyes over taken by yellow, pushed to the edges. It made her sit back, retracting her arm immediately as her Jedi instincts told her to back off.

"S-s-sorry," He stammered, shutting his eyes as he tried to reign in his control.

Opening his eyes, mostly grey again, he glanced at her as she watched him warily.

"You shouldn't have seen that," He murmured.

"Are the nightmares always that bad?" Mia inquired slowly

"Not always, this is about as bad as it gets," Micah lied, feeling the dark side creeping inside. He'd been trying to suppress it, for her sake, not wanting to scare her or lose her trust.

Mia narrowed her eyes, knowing he was lying but choosing not to push it, not as the coldness of the dark side slowly faded away. It was a reminder that, as much as he might care about her, he was still a Sith.

July 3rd, Four years post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan walked through the infirmary, holding Luke and Leia's hand, knowing if he didn't they'd probably run straight to the room Anakin was in. Between lunch and dinner he'd been moved from the emergency care ward to another room for observation. As far as he knew though Claus was still Anakin's doctor which had somehow worked out for the best. At least, there were no newly forming bruises on either of them when he returned from lunch with Luke and Leia the day before.

Leia tugged on his hand, huffing impatiently, "You're walking too slow," She complained.

"Your dad isn't exactly going anywhere though," Obi-wan pointed out, doing his best to be patient, "You could get there now, you could get there in an hour, you're still going to find him in his bed."

"But I want to be there now," Leia pouted.

"I know you do Leia," Obi-wan commented as they rounded the corner, Anakin's door within view.

Suddenly both twins had let go of his hand and had started running towards him. "No running!" Obi-wan called.

By the time he walked into Anakin's room he was in the middle of a lecture on why running in an infirmary was a bad idea.

"What if you had tripped and hurt yourself or knocked over an old guy walking with a cane?" He asked them.

"The only old man with a cane is Ben," Leia muttered in her usual sassy manner.

Obi-wan sighed. Since Anakin had been brought here she'd become unusually impatient and testy. There was something about seeing her father in a hospital bed and knowing he wasn't feeling well that just brought out those qualities. Obi-wan wasn't entirely sure where they originated. He was pretty sure it came from Anakin but it might have come from Padmé. She could sometimes be impatient and quick to bite someone's head off if they came between her and someone she loved. She might have learned it from Mia. To hell with it all if someone she cared about was in danger.

"Ben's not old," Anakin stated before looking up at his former Master, "He's just tired, not all of us run on batteries like you and Luke seem to."

"My point is, please don't run in an infirmary, it's not safe," Anakin concluded, "It would make me feel a lot better if you didn't run in here."

Sighing, Leia and Luke nodded.

"So how do you feel?" Obi-wan inquired, speaking up for the first time since entering.

"Better actually," Anakin answered.

Obi-wan nodded slowly, knowing that for once he actually meant it. He didn't quite look like death had warmed over, not like he had the day before.

"Do you think maybe you can come home soon?" Leia asked him as she climbed up onto the edge of the hospital bed.

"It's really up to my doctor," Anakin pointed out.

Luke sighed, "I wish Mia was your doctor," He muttered as he sat on the edge of the bed next to Anakin's knees, "She'd know what was wrong."

Wrapping his arm around Luke, Anakin pulled his son closer, "You know, Claus Greyback is actually the person who taught Mia how to be a doctor," He told Luke.

"Nuh-uh," Luke disputed, referring to Mia finishing her medical degree on Myrkr.

"Oh it's true, back when Mia was just a Padawan she decided she wanted to become a doctor so Claus taught her," Obi-wan explained.

"Then she decided she rather be on missions and adventures instead so she didn't finish learning to be a doctor until last year," Anakin concluded.

"So Claus is really smart, he'll figure this out," Anakin assured them.

The door slid open behind Obi-wan and Reina slipped in. "Reina!" Luke and Leia greeted eagerly, rushing to give her a hug.

"Aw, if only everyone greeted me this happily," Reina laughed as she stooped down to hug them both.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a deck of cards, "I brought cards," She whispered like a conspirator, "But it's a secret, very hush-hush, so shh!" She told them, pressing a finger to her lips.

Nodding, Luke and Leia did the same. Grinning, Reina handed the cards to Leia, "I'll check up on you two later," She told them as she left.

"Why can't all nurses be like that?" Anakin questioned, "You realize she got blood on the first try?"

Obi-wan smirked, "Yes, if only we could clone Reina and station one at every infirmary," He joked.

"Really I'd just settle for her being the one to take my blood when Mia's not around to do it," Anakin replied, smirking as Leia got Luke to deal a game of cards at the small table in the corner, "That and she's great with the twins."

"Indeed she is," Obi-wan agreed.

.July 3rd, Four years post Galactic Empire

As the sun had rose Mia got up, much to her brother's protests, and made her way towards the window with her I.V. stand in tow. Standing in front of the glass as the sun began to peek out from behind the mountains, she marveled at the beauty of it. Stretching in front of the red mountains was an orange forest, leaves almost looking gold as they reflected the light in this world. It was enchanting.

Raising her palm, she pressed it to the glass, "It's beautiful," She whispered, longing to be exploring the forest, walking under the branches as the leaves above reflected that golden light.

For a moment she didn't think he'd respond but then he nudged her arm. Looking over her shoulder at him, she was surprised to see her doctor along with a nurse and two who she assumed were most likely med-students.

"Good morning Miss Rosslyn," The doctor greeted her, "I'm Doctor Keaton."

It could have been Keaton, that's what she was assuming but lip-reading was more of an art than a science.

"Nice to meet you," Mia replied.

"Are you feeling the effects of the medication?" He asked her, dipping his head a bit as his lips moved slowly, body-language Mia instantly recognized for what it was: Condescending.

Her eyebrows furrowed, "A little, I guess, why?" She asked.

Micah motioned for her attention, "_He means your voice_," He explained in sign.

Confused, she looked at him for a moment before realizing what they meant, "You mean my speech?" She questioned, not sure if she was offended or not, "I'm deaf."

The doctor paled for a moment and the two med students looked between each other, surprised.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I read that in your chart," Dr. Keaton stated, embarrassed, "Would you like us to find you a translator?"

Sighing, Mia shook her head, "I read lips," She stated.

Nodding, Dr. Keaton continued, "Miss Rosslyn, I reviewed your brain scans. I know you were admitted here in case you needed surgery but I'm afraid surgery wouldn't be able to fix a problem of this magnitude."

"I could have told you that," Mia stated matter-of-factly, "But when I told the doctor at the previous location that I had a medical degree myself he didn't seem to take me very seriously."

"You're a doctor?" One of the med students questioned, clearly not believing it.

Mia rolled her eyes, "Yes," She answered. _**Because Force knows the Deaf are apparently helpless**_, she thought sarcastically.

"We're going to keep you here under observation but I'm afraid that's all we can do for you at this point," Dr. Keaton told her.

Mia held back from rolling her eyes. Barely.

When they left Mia turned to her brother, "That's my doctor?" She questioned sarcastically, "Is it just me or can you just feel the condesendingness?"

Micah opened his mouth for a moment, looking like he might laugh, before crossing his arms and looking off in the direction of the door, "I think it's lingering in the air actually," He commented.

"Like a bad smell," Mia muttered.

"Wait, how did you know he sounded condescending?" He asked her.

"Body language," She stated

Sucking in a breath, Micah nodded in agreement.

July 5th, Four years post Galactic Empire

After another two days of observation which included frequent blood test and another brain scan, Claus had released Anakin with strict orders to come back if the situation became worse. Anakin had also been prescribed anti-inflammatories, anti-nausea and pain medication to treat the symptoms. The first two Anakin had, for the most part, no problem taking. He was a bit hesitant about pain medication. He'd been wary of all pain medications since his lost his hand to the fight with Count Dooku. The memory of being brought back to the healing ward as his throat swelled up, the fingers of his good hand tingling as phantom pains shocked through his arm was still fresh in his mind.

Claus had also told him to take it easy, lots of bed rest. To some degree Anakin understood that was for the best, walking just to use the bathroom in the infirmary had been exhausting. However, he had two four, almost five, year olds who were bundles of energy, always moving. He wanted to keep up with them.

Obi-wan had promised to help. He didn't even have to voice it, Anakin knew he would because that was just in Obi-wan's nature, to care for those he loved.

Stepping into a house that was still unfamiliar to him, Anakin thought of home on Verron. In some ways it was similar, it had their pictures and the weird little hand crafted glass vase with its twisted spout that Mia had picked up at a garage sale—something neither of them had really seen before. The green blanket that always hung off the back of the small couch rested in a crumpled heap on the couch. Luke and Leia's art supplies were scattered across the coffee table, crayons spread off in different directions. There was a chair with its back faced to him, considerably nicer than the one they had in their tiny little apartment on Myrkr. He pictured Mia sitting there, her long hair hanging off the tall back as she read a good book, the sunlight spreading in through the window catching the subtle blue tones of her hair.

Luke and Leia stepped inside, looking up at him.

"_Want to see our drawings?_" Leia asked, her hands flying with such grace for a girl her age.

"Of course I would," He laughed, letting her pull him by the hand towards the coffee table.

Sitting down on the couch, Anakin looked at each picture they handed him. One was of Toothless, obviously one of Luke's, he had a gift with drawing. The next was Leia's a castle and on the balcony was a girl with long brown hair.

"This is wonderful Princess," Anakin murmured, smiling at the architecture, it reminded him a bit of Naboo.

Luke handed him another. It was incredible. It was a picture of Mia from the side, her nose, chin and lips perfect and her eyes a little weird but beautiful and grey. Her hair hung off her back.

"This is beautiful, amazing," Anakin murmured.

"I miss Mia," Luke murmured as he sat down next to Anakin, looking at the picture.

"I miss her too," Anakin murmured, pulling his son close, "Can I keep this?" He requested.

Luke nodded, still looking at the picture.

Obi-wan walked into the house, smiling at the sight of Anakin and the twins on the couch.

"Oh, Obi-wan drew this one," Luke whispered, picking up one piece of paper.

Anakin tilted his head to the side, not quite able to make sense of the picture, the figures small and slightly scribblish. "I don't get it, are they people or animals?" He asked Luke.

"I think that one's you and I thing that one's a bear," Luke guessed, pointing to two different figures.

"That's Mia," Obi-wan mumbled, looking put out.

"But it's got a tail," Luke pointed out, little blond eyebrows furrowing adorably.

He pouted, "It's her braid," He mumbled.

Anakin grinned mischievously, "It's a very nice drawing," He reassured his former master.

As the night stretched on Anakin remained on the couch, eating the dinner Obi-wan had brought back from the mess hall for him, kind enough not to force his cooking on his recovering brother. Anakin laid on his seat, staring at the wall, the green blanket carefully placed on him by his daughter who in some ways was becoming more and more like Mia, particularly in the ways in which she showed she cared and the desire to take care of those she loved. Obi-wan had gotten them to bed, tucking them in bed in their own rooms, reading each of them a story. It made him worry, worry that he was going to be too sick to take care of his own children.

* * *

Yeah, that happened .


	21. Separated as We Are

It's a short chapter (compared to others at least) but it does push the plot a bit more.

* * *

July 6th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Mia opened her eyes slowly as memories of a dream of Anakin faded away. In the dark she could still see his features illuminated by candle light, a grin on his face before taking in a big breath and blowing out the candles of a birthday cake, plunging the room around them into darkness as friends and family cheered.

The lamp behind her turned on and Mia rolled over to look at her brother, "_Sleep well?_" He asked her, hands moving slowly.

She nodded, remembering the smell of smoke and sensation of kissing Anakin right after before he jokingly smeared frosting on her cheek because that was just Anakin, mischievous.

"_Then why are you crying?_" He asked her.

Micah's signing had greatly improved because between the pain meds and the swelling midichlorians her ability to hear through the Force had not yet quite returned and it was just easier trying to sign.

She blinked as a small tear escaped out the corner of her eye. Reaching up, she wiped it away.  
"_I had a dream about my family and it reminded me of how much I missed them," _She answered verbally, hands moving slowly for his sake.

"_The doctors talked_ about taking another _brain scan_, checking _up on the swelling_," He told her.

"Bout time," Mia muttered irritably, "_I would have put an order in for one the second my patient was admitted, regardless of the last one._"

Micah smirked a little, "_I'm guessing you're a bit tired of being on the other side of doctor-patient care?_" He surmised, moving carefully through the hand signs.

"Uh, no, it's _guessing_," Mia corrected, one finger pointed upwards as she moved her hand in the opposite direction, "Sorry, I know learning is a bit difficult when I keep switching hands."

Sighing, he nodded, "Regardless, _I'm sure you're tired of being here_."

"_Oh, I am very sick of being here and I would like very much to leave_," Mia told him, "_Or the very least have more of a deciding influence on the diagnosis side of this_."

He nodded slowly, "_If you were the doctor in this, what would you do?_" He asked.

"_Since I'm only in here for 'observation' I'd at the very least do a bit better at observing my patient, including frequent and regular tests and I'd be a little less condescending about it too_," Mia answered before sarcastically adding: "But that would require effort of course.

July 6th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin moved slowly down the stairs and into the kitchen as he went to get coffee started. As he walked into the kitchen, he stopped and sighed. Part of him imagined Mia slowly cooking dinner as she looked out the window to watch Luke and Leia play outside, a faint smile gracing her lips. Stepping further into the kitchen, he started making coffee for himself before walking to sit down while it brewed. The door opened and Luke and Leia rushed in with a heat of excitement, going up the stairs two at a time. Eyebrows furrowed, he turned and looked at Obi-wan as he slowly walked inside.

"I promised to build a fort with them," Obi-wan mentioned as he made his way upstairs.

Nodding, Anakin turned and looked out the window as mid-morning sun hung over the trees, casting shadows against the house. The bitter smell of coffee drifted through the room as the wheezing sound of the coffee maker alerted him that it was almost finished.

Standing slowly, Anakin leaned against the table as the world around him threated to spill over in a swing of vertigo. Taking a deep breath, he moved towards the coffee maker and pulled out a cup.

While he was in the infirmary Obi-wan had taken it upon himself to unpack a bit, mostly when it was late at night and he wasn't busy with the twins or visiting Anakin.

Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he slowly made his way up the stairs.

"No, we need the blanket inside the fort," Leia disagreed.

"_**Now Leia, the secret to fort-making is using the sheets as the cover for the fort and keeping the blankets and pillows inside the fort," Mia told her as she carried a stack of blankets, "That way it's super comfy."**_

Anakin smiled at the memory as he pushed the door of Leia's room in and walked in. Luke and Obi-wan were in the process of trying to keep the sheets balanced over the dresser and desk chair.

"You're supposed to tuck the sheet into the drawer and keep it closed, it's much more stable than using something to weigh it down," Anakin pointed out.

Turning to Obi-wan, Luke nodded, "We should do it that way," He stated confidently

Nodding, Obi-wan opened the drawer and helped Luke tuck the sheet in before closing it.

"We could use ribbon to tie the sheet to the chair," Leia suggested as she grabbed a spool of ribbon from her desk.

Anakin sat down on Leia's bed as he watched them build the fort. Stooping down, Leia stuffed pillows and blankets in strategic places before telling everyone they could come inside. Moving slowly, Anakin sat down next to Luke, coffee cup still in hand.

"We should make tea and have a tea party in here," Leia suggested.

"No, we should get that board game Obi-wan got and snacks and play that," Luke decided.

"But I want tea," Leia argued.

"Obi-wan makes cruddy tea anyway," Luke disputed.

Leia rolled her eyes, "I can make tea, Mia's been teaching me how," She stated, crossing her arms with a very proud, slightly smug expression.

Luke shook his head, "I don't want tea," He complained.

"You don't have to have tea, I just want it," Leia argued.

Obi-wan pinched the bridge of his nose and Anakin shook his head.

"Have your tea, I want to play Rat Race," Luke decided.

"You're stupid," Leia complained, getting annoyed.

"Leia, that's not nice," Anakin scolded her.

Leia crossed her arms, "It's true," She grumbled.

"Have your stupid tea party, I'm not playing with you!" Luke shouted as he got out of the fort and left the room, "You cheat anyway."

"I do not!" Leia called after him.

Obi-wan and Anakin exchanged a glance before letting out a collective sigh of exasperation.

Luke walked into the room, holding the Rat Race board game, "I'm building a fort in my own room and if you want to play you can come with," He told Obi-wan and Anakin. Turning to Leia, he frowned, "You're not invited."

With that he left.

Sighing, Anakin looked over to Obi-wan, figuring it was better if they split up, that way neither of them felt left out. Obi-wan's eyes flinted over to the door, telling Anakin to take Luke.

"I think I'm going to go play Rat Race Princess," He told her as he started standing up.

"What? No!" Leia whined.

"I'll have a tea party with you," Obi-wan assured her, "Provided you make the tea this time."

Smiling, Leia nodded, "It's a deal," She agreed.

Walking slowly, Anakin joined Luke in his room, watching for a moment as he started building his own fort. "Building a fort?" Anakin guessed.

"Yes and it's going to be better than Leia's stupid crummy old fort," Luke grumbled as he yanked the sheets off the bed.

Walking straight to his closet, Luke hooked the mattress sheet on the two coat hooks on either side before moving towards the desk and tethering the other end to one of the drawers and using his lamp as a weight. Taking the flat sheet, he began adding to the fort.

"It looks nice," Anakin commented as he leaned heavily on the door frame, sipping his coffee slowly.

Stopping, Luke looked at it and nodded, "Just needs one thing," Luke decided before walking out the room, "I'll be right back."

Returning with an armful of snacks, Luke sat down in the fort.

"Are you stocking up for an invasion or something?" Anakin questioned, highly amused.

"Yeah, an invasion of stupid tea-loving girls," Luke stated as he started setting up the game.

Moving further into the room, Anakin sat down and scooted into the fort, "I believe I said something similar once," He mentioned. When Luke looked up at him with a curious expression, he explained, "I was nine, almost ten and Mia was eight. We'd gotten into an argument like you and Leia just had. I don't even remember what it was about but I stayed in my room all day. I ran out of things to do for fun though, and I didn't bring snacks but at one point Obi-wan had walked in and asked when I was coming out."

"So I told him I was coming out, and I quote, 'when stupid girls with their stupid books and their stupid tea left'," Anakin concluded.

"Though, that didn't really fly with Obi-wan and he told me that I couldn't come out until I apologized to Mia," Anakin added, "Mia couldn't leave until she apologized to me."

"Wait, why would Mia leave?" Luke questioned, confused.

"Oh, that was before Mia became a Padawan too so she slept in these special bunk rooms for younglings," Anakin explained.

Nodding, Luke sighed.

"Since when do you not like tea anyway?" Anakin questioned, curious.

Luke looked down at the board game as he picked out the blue rat, "It's not the same without Mia," Luke muttered.

Mia had been the one to introduce him to tea.

Anakin nodded in agreement.

"Is Mia ever coming back?" Luke asked him, looking up with wide blue eyes.

"Of course she is," Anakin assured him.

"How do you know?" Luke questioned, not believing it.

Anakin smiled, "Because Mia always comes back," He stated, "She always has and she always will, sometimes it takes her a while but she always comes home."

Nodding, Luke looked up at him, "You want to go first?" He offered, holding out two dice.

Smiling, Anakin took the dice from his son's tiny hand and tossed them on the board.

July 6th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Mia breathed slowly as the machine technicians placed two warm blankets on top of her to keep her warm. One of the technicians held up her hand, making the universal sign for 'okay' as a question. Mia smiled at her effort to try and communicate with her, caring. Nodding slowly, Mia watched as she reached over and pressed a button. The tray she was laying on slowly slid her into the heart of the machine. The tiny, pin-prick sized light above her was red but any minute it would be green, signaling that the brain scan was beginning. She'd never liked these machines, hated the sounds they made and the way they made her tune out all sound for some peace.

Then it turned and green.

Holding still, Mia waited for the sound to drift in but it was near silence, a soft buzzing hum around her. She wondered if the swelling in her brain had gotten worse or remained the same. Her headaches had gotten much better since arriving here but she knew that was because of the medications they'd put her on.

Closing her eyes, she shut out the machine as it rotated around her head.

_**She sat down on the bed slowly, decompressing from a long day of chasing after two four year old terrors on sugar because Anakin and Obi-wan's idea of taking the twins to the park so she could take a break and relax required them stressing her out again when they got back. Stretching her neck to the left and then the right, Mia sighed as the joint popped and realigned. Before she knew it, Anakin was gently brushing her hair off her back and onto her left shoulder.**_

"_**I'm still mad at you," She stated, knowing exactly what he was doing.**_

"_**I know," He replied, his breath tickling her shoulder just before he pressed a soft kiss to the bare skin.**_

"_**Do you have any idea how hard it was to get them to go to bed?" She challenged as he placed his hands on his shoulders, his thumbs pressing gently into her back.**_

"_**I do," Anakin stated as his thumbs began making circular motions, "Because you made me do it."**_

_**Mia grinned, "Rightly so," She laughed.**_

"_**Still can't believe you swore in Huttese at me," He muttered.**_

"_**Are you offended?" Mia asked him, amused.**_

"_**No, I'm actually quite proud, I've just managed to corrupt dear, sweet, goodie-two-shoes Mia," He teased her, "Though it was a very highly offensive word, I don't recommend you repeating it."**_

"_**It wasn't that offensive," Mia disputed in a sigh as his fingers began removing knots of tension, "And you did not corrupt me."**_

_**Anakin laughed, "No, I just taught you how to swear in the most offensive language in the universe," He stated.**_

_**Mia smiled as his thumbs worked down her spine, making the muscles in her back feel more like muscles. "Lower," She murmured, breathing slowly as she gradually began to really relax.**_

_**He reached the giant knot of tension that resided between her shoulder blades, kneading it slowly as his fingers fanned across her back, his fingers lining up with her ribs in synchronicity. Mia let out a soft moan of pleasure as the knot in her back eased away at his skilled fingers. Leaning forward, he pressed soft kisses to her shoulders, leading up to her neck. Mia leaned back, resting against his shoulders as he kissed her pulse point, her soft spot. In an instant she turned around, her hands gripping his neck as she pulled him closer, kissing him. His hands slid slowly down her waist and hips as they kissed, gripping her thighs just above her knees, pulling her so she was on top of him. They were long gone, any annoyance or irritation they'd felt towards the other gone. They so rarely stayed mad.**_

Suddenly she was moving, being pulled out of the machine. The light hurt her eyes as the technicians smiled at her. Sitting up slowly, she slowly moved into the wheelchair they'd brought over, mindful of the vertigo she'd been feeling for the last week.

They wheeled her slowly out the room, heading towards the elevator to got up two floors and bring her back to her hospital room, where her brother waited. As they wheeled her into the room she saw Micah sitting on the chair on the corner, looking quite bored. He perked up when he saw her.

"_How'd it go?_" He asked her as she slowly eased herself onto the hospital bed.

"Alright, I mostly slept through it," She answered as she leaned back heavily on the bed, exhausted.

"_Do you know when we'll get the_ results?" He asked her, his voice muffled but present.

Mia thought about it, "Uh, scans like that are recorded on video and given to the doctor who will review it when he gets a chance and that video would probably be about ten to fifteen minutes long on fast forward. I'm not their only patient though so it might be a while before we hear back from him."

"_How long would you take to talk to the patient about it?_" Micah asked her.

Mia shrugged, not liking what she was about to say, "With brain swelling as severe as mine, I'd put a rush on it," She explained.

He nodded slowly, "How severe?" He asked.

Mia bit her lip, "It could kill me," She murmured, tears slipping down her cheeks, starting to let the reality she'd tried so hard to ignore seep into head, "If it gets any worse it could kill me."

He sat there, stunned and not knowing what to do. There wasn't anything he could do.

Sniffling, Mia looked away as she wiped away the tears.

They sat in silence for the longest time, nothing to say because no comforting words could diminish the reality. Mia didn't cry, she didn't want to cry in front of her brother, in front of anyone because it meant admitting she couldn't beat this. That thought scared her.

Mia was staring at the wall when Micah suddenly moved, sitting up. Following his line of sight, she watched the doctor slowly walk into her room.

"Miss Rosslyn, we have some good news," Dr. Keaton told her.

Mia's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I've reviewed your brain scans and the swelling has gone down significantly," He told her.

Mia turned to her brother, "Did he just say the swelling's gone down?" She asked him, not able to believe it.

Micah nodded.

"I thought you might want to see the scans yourself," Dr. Keaton added, pulling out a folder from her chart.

Sitting up, Mia took it from him and pulled out the printed scans, reviewing them quickly, "Do you know how this happened?" She asked the doctor, staring at the images, "Is this just the medication?"

"Well, we can't know for sure what exactly is causing it but if we keep you on the medication you could possibly return home and follow up with another doctor," Dr. Keaton added.

Mia nodded numbly.

"I'll keep you overnight and we'll see about releasing you tomorrow," Dr. Keaton concluded as he left, "Those scans are yours to keep, by the way."

"I can't believe it," Mia whispered once the doctor had left.

"They've really gone down?" Micah asked as he leaned over to see the scans himself, not believing it either.

Mia nodded, "There's still some swelling but it's not nearly as bad as it was before," She explained.

"This is great news," Micah exclaimed, a real smile breaking out on his face, soft and small but entirely real.

Mia grinned back, relief washing over her.

July 7th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Taking it easy and laying around the house was proving to be very difficult. In some ways it was difficult because his active mind kept telling him there was something left to do. It was an instinct that had been there longer than he could remember and it was likely always going be there. Sitting around the house and not doing something productive felt wrong. Not to mention he had to four, almost five, year olds who never sat still and laying down on the couch while they charged in an out of the room at play felt weird. In some ways taking it easy wasn't very hard because it was already a bit difficult to go upstairs without feeling tired and light headed, doing much else seemed near impossible.

In a few days Anakin was supposed to start work, work being patrol duty and maintenance on the ships on base, most of them small and old, inconspicuous. Obi-wan had started working at his new position on base, in intelligence-analysis, organizing data on the Empire. Most of the intelligence came from intercepting encrypted Imperial data transmissions and spying on Imperial bases across the galaxy and it was his job to help wade through the information with others on this team.

Sitting on the couch, Anakin slowly read one of Mia's old books, starting a new chapter she'd often complained about.

Suddenly Leia came bounding inside the house, rushing into the kitchen with Luke hot on her heels. There was quiet whispering then silence followed by the refrigerator opening and shutting before both of them tiptoed their way outside, thinking their dad wouldn't notice.

"Is there something I should know about?" Anakin asked them before they could go out the door.

Leia stopped for a moment to look at him before giggling and running outside after her brother.

That just didn't bode well.

Standing slowly, Anakin followed them outside, going down the porch steps slowly as he rounded the corner to where they sat, crouched with their backs turned to him.

"He's so cute," Leia whispered.

"What's so cute?" Anakin asked as he slowly approached them.

Luke and Leia looked up at him before pointing to something small and brown hiding under a root in the tree. Eyebrows furrowing, Anakin slowly sat down on Leia's other side, wondering what it was.

"It's a bunny," Leia quietly explained.

Nodding, Anakin looked over at the small pile of offered food a few inches in front of the rabbit, leafs of lettuce and a few carrots.

"You know, it can probably feed itself," Anakin pointed out.

"But we want to feed it," Leia argued at a whisper, "Besides, it's so small."

Looking back at the rabbit, Anakin watched as it slowly poked its head out and took a hesitant bite of the lettuce. They watched in a long breathless moment as the rabbit began to slowly eat the offered food, seeming a little more trusting of them as they sat still, keeping a safe distance away from it.

"Maybe we could keep it," Luke suggested.

"No," Anakin disagreed automatically.

"Why not?" Leia asked, not believing it.

"It's a wild animal Leia, not a pet," He told her.

Leia sighed out of annoyance before turning her attention to the rabbit as it took a bite out of the crunchy carrot.

"We could let it stay outside and just keep feeding it," Leia suggested.

Anakin shook his head, "You'll just attract more wild animals, it's a bad idea," Anakin stated quietly, shaking his head.

"I don't see you taking the food away," Leia pointed out in a way that reminded him so strongly of Mia he didn't have a response.

She had a point.

Sighing, Anakin sat in silence with the twins as they watched the rabbit eat the food, watching as it slowly came out from under the root it had taking refuge in. It was tiny, possibly a baby, with brown fur that acted as perfect camouflage in this environment. As it ate it watched all three of them, observing.

"Mia would let us keep it," Luke stated confidently.

_**Your mom has never been fond of the idea of owning animals**_, Anakin almost stated before realizing he was almost going to refer to Mia as their mom.

"Mia has never liked the idea of keeping animals as pets," He said instead before he could really focus on the thought.

"Why?" Both of them asked at the same time, looking at him.

Anakin sighed and looked at the rabbit, "She thinks animals should be free and wild, living their own life," Anakin explained, "Not be cooped up inside as pets."

Sighing, Leia turned back to the rabbit, nothing else was said on the matter.

"I'm going back inside," Anakin murmured, standing.

The world tilted for a moment, reminding him not to stand too quickly. The rabbit held still for a moment, watching as Anakin waited a moment. Feeling he could walk inside without nearly falling over like before, he slowly made his way inside and went back to reading.

July 8th, Four years post Galactic Empire

At the notice of her imminent release if all continued well, Micah had stepped outside to make a transmission. Mia suspected it was to his ship, giving his men orders to fly through hyperspace here. It was probably a lot easier than flying back to Ammi-seru to get back to them. Part of her wondered about boarding his ship again. The idea of being on an Imperial ship made her sick inside, regardless of whose it was. It hadn't actually bothered her the first time, she'd been too pissed off at them and had expected to be taken down to holding if not executed in front of the Empire right away.

Granted, she'd spent several days on board that ship without anything bad happening but she'd been just as nervous leaving it because she hated the idea of any Imperial seeing her. Many things could happen if one of them told the Emperor that Micah hadn't killed her right on site, one of those things being death for her and her brother.

So as she signed her name on the release forms, she felt very sick inside and the urge to run _anywhere_ was overpowering.

To her great disgust she was wheeled out of the hospital like an invalid—though, what can one call themself after a week in the hospital?

Micah handed her a black cloak with red trim, which she put on with no hesitation, and motioned her to follow him to the small ship that she vaguely recognized as the one that had brought them to the first facility, though she presently had no idea how it had gotten there.

"The pilot that flew us to the first facility flew it here as well," He explained as they boarded it, "It will take us aboard and then it will return to Ammi-seru."

Mia sighed as she slowly approached the ship and went up the short but fairly steep ramp. Once they were onboard her brother went straight to a long case in the back of the ship she hadn't noticed before. He opened it slowly and pulled out the black chest plate of his armor. She watched from the front of the ship as he slowly put on the armor, wondering just how many sets he had. Given his position as a Emperor's Jedi hunter—the thought made her both roll her eyes and want to throw up—she imagined he'd been forced to replace a piece of armor here or there. Turning, she looked over at the pilot who was eyeing her curiously. She was fairly used to that by now, as sad as that was, because most people who worked for her brother didn't know what to make of her.

Suddenly the air around her brother turned cold and dark and it made her struggle not to jump away out of instinct. It was far too easy to forget he was a Sith. Turning, she looked at her armor clad brother, the visual reminder of who he was sinking in.

She wasn't just looking at Micah, she was looking at Darth Brutus. Just because she called him by a different name didn't mean he wasn't still that same person.

"We're ready to go," He told her just before putting on the mask.

Mia bit her lip, every muscle in her body tense on reflex.

"Are you ready?" He asked her, the voice chilling her bones.

She wondered if she'd ever get around to telling him exactly how creepy the mechanical voice was but she didn't particularly feel like it right this moment. Sitting down in the seat next to the pilot without a word, Mia strapped herself in while her brother sat down behind her, possibly a bit irked at her for sitting up front. The thought made her smile, a little bit of normal sibling annoyances made her feel almost normal.

As they left the atmosphere Mia pulled the hood of the cloak over her head. The star destroyer loomed ahead and for a moment Mia almost forgot that she used to command ships like that all the time, back in the war. Now as her fingernails dug into the seat she couldn't help but worry that she'd be shot out of the sky. They flew towards it slowly, without incident, and the pilot directed the ship into a large hanger. Behind her she vaguely heard her brother stand up before standing at her side.

"Ready?" He asked her.

She looked up at him, an eyebrow raised, "I'm about to walk into the heart of the Empire, with no weapon mind you, and hope they don't shoot me," She reminded him just before she sighed, "Yeah."

Standing, she followed him out, tugging the hood down a little farther before bowing her head down, not at all eager to have someone see her face. In front of her stood one man dressed in a grey uniform with three men, dressed similarly, standing behind him.

_**Goody, the welcome wagon **_, Mia thought sarcastically as they walked down the ramp of the ship.

The aura around her brother changed in an instant, turning cold and dark in a way that made her struggle not to jump away.

"Commander Ver," Her brother greeted, his mechanical voice sending anxious shivers down Mia's back.

"Good to have you back sir," Ver greeted, not even bothering to give her a second glance, "What are your orders?"

"Return to the bridge, I will join you shortly to discuss our next move," Micah—_**Darth Brutus**_, Mia reminded herself—responded, "I need to see to our guest."

Mia raised an eyebrow. _**Is that what I am?**_

Nodding, Commander Ver turned and walked away, seeming to have expected as much.

Turning to Mia, Micah nodded and made his way towards the lift, expecting her to follow. A wave of annoyance echoed from her as she followed, apparently not liking the way he had assumed she'd follow. The annoyance confused him for a moment because last he had checked she didn't want to spend any time out in the open with his men. He expected that he'd never fully understand the normal social rules so many followed and he certainly would never fully understand his sister.

The ride in the lift was eerily quiet. When the doors opened Mia went straight to the door. He almost let out a sigh as he entered the ten-digit key to let her into the room.

"I'm assuming you're intending to go straight to the bridge," Mia stated sarcastically, looking up at him from under the hood, her grey eyes just barely visible.

"Are you irritated?" He asked her.

Mia rolled her eyes, "No, I just don't think it's in your best interest to assume I'll always do as you like," She stated before walking further inside to make herself a cup of tea.

"I'll see you for dinner," He told her instead of responding, shutting the door behind him as he left.

The lift ride going down was unpleasant in ways he couldn't properly explain. It was strange how different of a person he was around Mia as compared to others. Even the lift ride down, alone, made the darkness creep up on him. He wasn't sure if that was a welcomed change or not.

Pushing it off into a corner along with many other thoughts on that subject, he made his way towards the bridge.

As he walked in he could see Commander Ver giving two other officers orders while occasionally glancing at the officers on the floor below, seated at computers going over calculations and communications between them and other bases and ships.

He stopped behind Ver, not at all surprised how easily the young commander noticed him even with his back turned.

"Lord Brutus," Commander Ver greeted, standing up straight with his arms at his sides.

Behind him the two officers walked away to follow their given orders.

"We're to visit the planet Airon sector," Darth Brutus ordered.

"That's the current location of the build site, if I'm not mistaken," Commander Ver commented, "How is that going along?"

"That's what we're to find out," He responded.

Nodding, Commander Ver looked at his superior officer for a moment before speaking, "You know I'd never pry into your personal matters," He started, "But that was Jedi Knight Rosslyn I saw just now, wasn't it?"

Darth Brutus turned to him, "Is there a problem?" He questioned, though he sensed he already knew the answer.

"No, of course not," Ver assured him as he looked out into the field of stars straight ahead, "I'd just like to know what lie I'm to tell the Emperor should he ask."

He almost smiled at the loyalty, loyalty was such a rare thing in the Empire.

"Tell him I'm using Miss Rosslyn to track down Anakin Skywalker in exchange for her life and freedom," He answered, "And one I've killed him, I'll kill her as well."

Ver nodded, "That's good, he'll like that," He decided before smirking, "I might actually have to try to keep a straight face."

His lips twitched upwards from behind the mask, another almost smile.

July 9th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Stepping out of the house, Anakin and the twins still sound asleep, Obi-wan breathed in the cool air, feeling it seep in through the long sleeves of his shirt and brush against his arms. Sitting down on the steps of the small porch, he laced up his boots. It was his first day of patrols. Standing up, Obi-wan walked towards the trail leading towards the mess hall and the underground levels beneath it. The base was still quiet, Rebels just beginning to wake up. The sky was oddly set in overcast despite the warm season but he'd spent most of the last year underground and he'd almost forgotten what the sky was supposed to look like on warm days.

Going up the stairs of the mess hall, Obi-wan cut through to the back and took the lift down to the first floor. He only vaguely know what where everything was down here, he hadn't spent much time here yet.

Giving up on trying to find his way on his own, he approached one stranger walking down the hall. "Excuse me, I'm supposed to start patrols today," He spoke, smiling sheepishly.

Nodding, the young man looked behind him, "It's down the hall, second left and then through the door labeled 6B-108, you sign in and they'll set you up from there," He answered, pointing into the direction he'd come from.

"Thank you," Obi-wan added with a smile as he walked away.

"No problem," He replied, smiling.

When he signed in for patrols the woman behind the desk pointed him to the door behind her. From there he'd gotten his radio, a blaster rifle and a map of the trail he was supposed to follow.

"Obi-wan," Claus called from behind, surprised to see the other Jedi.

Looking over his shoulder, Obi-wan smiled, "Claus, are you here for patrols?" He questioned, just as surprised.

Nodding, Claus passed him and picked up the blaster rifle and radio offered to him by thirty-something man in charge of assigning weaponry.

"What patrol group were you assigned?" Claus asked.

"Uh, Patrol Group A," Obi-wan answered, checking the map.

Claus smiled faintly, "Well good, I can give you the tour," He laughed.

As they went up to the dining hall, Claus directed him to the side entrance and down the stairs.

"So group A is assigned the outer barrier, it's mainly under the cover of the forest but it's quiet," Claus explained as he walked straight ahead, "You start at the first check mark and follow a clockwise path."

Obi-wan nodded, taking all this in. They lapsed into silence for a few minutes.

"How's Anakin?" Claus asked, breaking the silence.

"Tired," Obi-wan answered, sounding exhausted himself, "I've managed to keep him off his feet but he's beginning to get restless."

Claus nodded, knowing the feeling, "On Pallaxides I broke two ribs and they kept me off duty for two weeks and even after I was supposed to take it easy," Claus admitted to his friend, "I wasn't allowed on another mission for another two months."

Obi-wan looked over at the man, trying to remember that fateful night, "I don't remember that," He admitted.

"It wasn't until the very end of our battle with Darth Brutus," Claus explained, "I managed."

"Anakin has never been good where the term 'taking it easy' is concerned," Obi-wan stated, "Frankly, the fact he's been so good about it this time has me worried."

Claus nodded, "I remember Mia saying, once, that Anakin was the worst patient she'd ever had," He murmured.

"He still is," Obi-wan laughed before sighing, "I suspect Mia's absence is largely to blame for Anakin's compliance over taking it easy, he's been depressed since learning of," He trailed off.

Claus nodded, "The day I heard she'd been captured I," He sighed, "I punched a wall, followed by nearly flipping my desk over."

"And a massive hangover in the morning," He added.

"When Anakin heard he took it out on a punching bag," Obi-wan mentioned as they began walking up a hill, "I found him with cut and bloodied knuckles."

"He's not been the same," Obi-wan murmured, looking down at the ground.

Claus bit his lip, _**Nor have I**_, he thought.

"Mia has that effect on everyone," Obi-wan stated, sighing wearily, "She works her way into your heart."

"Effortlessly," Claus murmured, thinking back to the first time he'd held her, the way she gently touched his Padawan braid, her fingers trailing down it.

Obi-wan nodded in agreement, thinking of the first time he'd met her, small and tiny, looking up at him with curious blue-grey eyes before smiling widely. He remembered how easily it was to teach her to sign her name, how quickly she'd picked it up because she was undeniably smart. He also remembered the day in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, taking Mia to see them as he taught her new signs. The second Claus saw her he recognized her, the way he smiled down at her as he held her gently.

Mia had that effect on everyone, it was so easy to love her.

June 9th, Four years post Galactic Empire

On her third day aboard this ship Mia had learned of the window in her brother's room and the way it gave a view of the stars. He found her in his room that night, watched the way she marveled at the beautiful sea of stars before her. He hadn't fought and demanded she never entered his room after that. So as Mia stepped into his room, she approached the window, looking out it with a small smile on her face before she noticed something. It was small, just a skeleton of a frame but around it ships were hovering, cranes held out carrying more metal frames. Her eyebrows furrowed and in an instant she knew that whatever it was, it was designed for something terrible. It made her feel cold inside.

* * *

The next chapter will be a lot more Claus-centric (he isn't often seen in this fanfic, of course neither was Micah-Darth Brutus before now) and the way he interacts with Anakin and he twins.

Review for a cookie!


	22. Darkness Lingering, Patiently Waiting

July 11th, Four years post Galactic Empire

The early morning sun drifted through the open window as Anakin sat on the floor, his legs sprawled in front of him, carefully peeling away the seal on one of their boxes. His thumb brushed over the name on the box, the handwriting so neat it was hard to believe that he'd been the one to write it. Opening the flap of the box, he stared at all her things, just little items she collected over time. Sighing, Anakin reached in and pulled out the beat up blue box. Lifting the lid, he shifted through pictures of their little family. Then he found one he hadn't looked at in years, one he'd stopped looking at in hopes he would finally move on.

_**The quiet rustle of rain outside and steady breathing was all he heard. At the opening of their little cave in they dared to call a base sat Cody and Kip, playing cards by the light of a flame-lit lamp. Sighing, Anakin stared at the little square of paper, made almost translucent by the light. His eyes roamed over her brown curls and her soft, understated smile, so polite and diplomatic. The picture was taken for an article about peace negotiations. **_

_**He heard the soft, almost silent sound of someone rolling over and he hid the picture under his blanket before she could see it. Her grey eyes shined subtly in the dim, golden light of the lamp.**_

"_**Can't sleep?" Mia whispered, mindful of the other sleeping occupants.**_

_**He shook his head, eyes drifting along the row of bunks in front of him.**_

"_**Is everything okay?" She asked him after a moment, "You've been different the last few weeks."**_

_**He closed his eyes for a moment, wondering what Padme was doing at the moment, right about now it would be dusk on Coruscant. Normally she'd take to the veranda and look out at the sky. She sometimes told him stories of the late summer evenings on Naboo when she was young. Her family would go outside and enjoy the cool air, sipping drinks as they laughed and shared stories. He missed her, more than anything.**_

"_**I know it's the first assignment you've had since fighting Count Dooku," Mia started, breaking his train of thought.**_

_**Anakin flexed the fingers of his right hand, trying not to think of the phantom arm that still gripped him with pain without warning. "You mean since losing my arm," He muttered harshly.**_

_**She sighed through her nose, "Are you alright?" She asked him patiently.**_

_**He looked down, "It's not the hand, if that's what you're asking," He murmured.**_

_**Her eyes softened, like she somehow knew, understood. She couldn't know. She hadn't joined him on Naboo until the day after he and Padme had shared their vows, vowing to share their lives together. She knew that look though, that look of longing. It was a look she often wore after Obi-wan had forced them to break up, a look they both wore for months until they, in their own time, moved on. She seemed to have moved on much sooner than he had though.**_

He never got to keep any of the pictures of Padme apart from the one he always carried with him during the war. He was never able to return to Coruscant, to retrieve the few pictures they had of each other. He remembered the way her nose crinkled when she would smile, really smile. Those smiles were not the controlled, careful smiles she gave the general public.

Mia had never been that way. The way she smiled was so free, careless. Her eyes always lit up when she smiled, so open.

He swore and ran his fingers through his hair. He couldn't lose her too, it would destroy him, he wouldn't ever be the same.

The sound of someone quietly rapping their knuckles across the wood door, knocking, broke him from his desperate thoughts. Dropping the picture in the box, he returned the lid to its former place.

"Come in," He spoke up, his voice so steady it amazed him.

Obi-wan poked his head in, "You have a visitor," He mentioned with an amused lilt in his voice.

The door opened more as Claus stepped in, looking a bit irked. "You missed your check up," He stated, his voice stiff.

He smiled mischievously, "Sorry, was a bit busy, unpacking and all," He explained.

Claus sighed tiredly and stepped further inside the room. Obi-wan stood by the doorway, watching carefully.

"Mind updating me on how you're doing?" Claus asked.

"Um, my head hurts a bit still, I don't like standing up for longer than a few minutes and I feel exhausted all the time," He answered, "Nothing's really changed."

The older man nodded and placed a black bag on the short bookcase—a bookcase Mia would criticize for its inability to contain all her books—and pulled out a stethoscope. Knowing what was to follow, Anakin lifted himself onto the edge of the bed. Claus stepped forward and listened to his heartbeat.

"Your heart is still beating rather fast," Claus muttered, "Rabbit heart."

He muttered it like it was a second thought, something he almost couldn't contain.

"Mia always says that," Anakin mentioned.

Claus smiled wistfully, "She would be where I picked the term up from."

Obi-wan smiled like he knew something Anakin didn't.

Sitting impatiently, Anakin allowed Claus to further examine him.

"I want you to come in tomorrow to run some tests," Claus stated when he was finished, "And if you don't show up I'll make sure Obi-wan drags you to it."

"And don't think I won't," Obi-wan insisted, "My former Padawan."

Anakin rolled his eyes at the sentiment. He didn't think Obi-wan would ever grow out of calling him that.

"Well, I need to return to work," Claus stated, "I've just about used up my lunch break."

Turning, he walked out the door. "Do come again," Obi-wan offered, ignoring the way Anakin gave him a pointed look.

July 12th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Mia stared at her brother with narrowed eyes, arms crossed. He ate slowly, seeming to ignore the way she watched him. His posture was stiff. They'd argued for over an hour, nearly shouting at one point as she groaned harshly in frustration. Then dinner had arrived and they'd gone silent. Finally his fork scraped across his plate as he looked up at her.

"No, absolutely not," He insisted.

She scowled, "For once can you stop being a controlling ass," She challenged, "This is a real need, you can't deny me it."

"It would be taking a huge, unnecessary risk and you know that," Micah reminded her, his voice going hard as the darkness inside him, the darkness that belongs to Darth Brutus, began to take over in his impatience.

Stubborn must be hereditary.

"Fine, you do it," She told him.

He looked extremely uncomfortable at that.

"It's not hard, just pick some things out," She challenged, "Surely you can manage it, not as though he haven't before."

"Something other than a dress," Mia specified.

Micah frowned, trying to ignore the frustration that was quickly taking over. She pulled at the sleeves of the dark blue dress, her long hair draped across the back of the chair.

"Fine, I'll make the arrangements," He gave in.

Her eyes softened. "Thank you."

July 12th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Stooping over the desk with a stale cup of coffee, Claus filled out paperwork, ticking off the minutes until his lunch break as he continued his tired debate. Would Skywalker make this next appointment or would he hold true to all that Mia had said and purposely miss the appointment, deeming a medical checkup unnecessary.

_**He found her behind the curtain of a bed in the infirmary, brought over by the loud bickering. Anakin was smiling mischievously as Mia scolded him for not taking his medication correctly, medication prescribed to prevent him from accidentally contracting a viral infection on an outer rom planet.**_

"_**Anakin, for once can you just cooperate," Mia argued, her voice stern.**_

"_**Can't, watching you get riled up is too much fun," Anakin teased, leaning back on the bed.**_

"_**You know, I hear koravarcis disease is spreading across Prinedow these days," Claus spoke up, glancing at Mia with a slight smirk, "It's usually accompanied by swelling of the face, and I hear that in some cases it becomes so severe scar tissue begins to develop."**_

_**Anakin stared at him skeptically.**_

"_**I've seen some photos, might you like a look?" He offered **_

"_**Isn't that the one that's making patients lose hair?" Mia inquired, playing along.**_

_**Claus nodded, "You've been catching up on your reading," He praised, "It also leads to a temporary loss of control of what reflex?"**_

_**Her eyes widened slightly, "I don't think he wants to hear about that," She stated quietly.**_

"_**What don't I want to hear?" Anakin questioned, growing worried.**_

_**Mia turned to him, "You'll start to lose control of your bowel movements if you contract that," She told him.**_

_**Anakin frowned, disgusted before jumping off the bed, "One pill each meal?" He checked.**_

"_**And before bed," Mia added as he left the infirmary.**_

_**They managed to wait until he passed around the corner before laughing. Mia wiped her watering eyes as she gripped her side, cheeks bright pink. Claus shook his head.**_

"_**You're quick on your feet," Claus praised, smiling proudly.**_

"_**Have to be with him around," Mia commented with a wry smile.**_

"_**Thank that'll make him keep to the schedule?" He asked her.**_

_**She smirked, "This time," She muttered before walking back into the hall. She turned around and smiled before asking: "What's next?"**_

Claus smiled wistfully as he glimpsed through another file, the memory playing in his mind once more. He missed the days he spent teaching her to become a doctor, though she later decided to pursue a different course in her Jedi training, he was always so proud of her.

The door opened as a nurse poked her head in, "Skywalker's back," She mentioned with a smirk.

Sighing, he stood and picked up the file set aside for him before leaving his tiny office. In the exam room he found Anakin sitting impatiently on the exam table while Obi-wan leaned against the wall, trying not to look too amused. He wasn't sure why Obi-wan found the dynamic between he and Anakin so amusing. Other than perhaps the incident a few weeks ago or the fact that Anakin was in a long term relationship with his daughter.

He still didn't know how he felt about that.

He was past the stage of blaming Anakin for Mia getting captured by Darth Brutus—and the Jedi Purges, if he was thinking about it, recognizing that ultimately Darth Sideous would have found a new puppet. Force knew he seemed to have plenty to spare.

"Nice of you to make time in your busy schedule of 'taking it easy' to come and see me." Claus joked. "Assuming you've been 'taking it easy'."

"Barely," Obi-wan commented, "And only because I won't let him do more than go up and down the stairs."

Anakin rolled his eyes, "If I didn't know better, I'd think you took me for an invalid," He muttered sarcastically.

Claus smirked, "Well, I need to run some tests," He stated, ignoring the groan in response. "Basic stuff, blood tests, urine test, brain scan, blood pressure."

"Are the headaches getting better?" He asked.

"It varies I think," Anakin explained, "Some days are better than others."

He looked away for a moment, lost in thought.

"Tell him what you told me," Obi-wan prodded his former Padawan.

Anakin turned to give him a pointed look before sighing, "It seems to get better the closer she is, the closer she feels, and worse the farther away she is."

"So you haven't cut the bond," Claus surmised.

"I can't, I need to know she's still out there," Anakin answered simply.

"Anakin," Claus sighed, "I don't like it any more than you do but maintaining this bond isn't sustainable. Your health may deteriorate further, hers as well."

Anakin looked up, "How long do you think it'll be before it gets worse?" He questioned warily.

Claus chewed on his cheek for a moment, "Honestly, I haven't seen a case last this long before," He explained. "The only other case I've seen didn't last longer that two days."

"Oh, that's encouraging," Anakin commented sarcastically.

He hadn't mentioned to Obi-wan that the Padawan had died hours later, the swelling of his brain and midichlorians leading to internal cranial hemorrhaging.

"The Master-Padawan pair you spoke of," Obi-wan spoke up, "The master died."

Claus sighed, "I didn't tell you the whole story," He admitted, "The Padawan died a few hours later, the swelling lead to cranial hemorrhaging, there was nothing we could do when we found out."

Anakin felt sick, like he was going to puke. Mia would die if he couldn't learn to let go.

And he'd never been successful at letting go of attachments in the past.

"This would be why the Jedi don't allow attachments," Claus mentioned, "They wanted to prevent cases like this."

Anakin's fingers twitched towards the trashcan, silently trying to suppress the way his stomach was violently turning.

"I can't tell you what the lasting effects of this will be if you manage to reunite without severing the connection." Claus added, looking grim.

July 12th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin sat on the floor in front of the couch, staring at the flickering fire. Obi-wan had, for once, returned to his cabin for the night and the twins were sound asleep upstairs. He wound his fingers through his hair, anxiety creeping up on him. He'd have to give her up, let her go so she could live. The last time he was faced with something like this he'd made the worse choice possible. Going to the dark side couldn't save her. It couldn't save anyone, just destroy.

Loving her might destroy her too. This attachment was the reason she was suffering and it would kill them both, one way or another.

There was nothing wrong with loving someone, being attached to them. That thought he gripped hold of as tightly as he could. Allowing it to cause her pain was wrong though.

One way or another, he needed to come to grips with his choice and save them both.

July 14th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Mia sighed, pulling the covers over her head. Today was another bad day and she didn't think they'd ease up soon. Micah had brought in a doctor from the ship's medical wing—who didn't seem too fazed to be in the presence of Darth Brutus—to check up on her condition each day. She was fairly certain he was her brother's physician as well. Rune, she thought with a smile, was very kind and surprisingly warm or someone serving the Empire. Even better, he didn't ask any questions other than about her health.

On her own though, she was starting to get a sense as to what was causing her problem and what made it worse of better. It was the bond, that much she understood. Her symptoms were getting worse the further away she was from Anakin, and better the closer she was.

The door outside the hall opened and there was a heavy but muted padding of footsteps in the next room she barely heard under the pain meds she'd taken a few hours ago.

"Mia," Micah called, knocking, "Dinner's arrived."

"Not hungry," Mia grumbled, breathing in the hot, stale air trapped in by the heavy comforter.

She was pretty sure he sighed, or felt exasperated. She couldn't hear it, she could barely feel it, but it was there.

The door opened, light leaking into the room. She peaked out from under the covers. "You didn't eat much of your breakfast," He pointed out from the doorway, "And you didn't even touch your lunch."

He sounded stern, almost like a dismayed master speaking to a youngling who'd misbehaved somehow. She suppressed a smirk at the thought of likening a Sith to a Jedi.

"I feel like I'm going to puke, so I'll politely decline," She commented with a touch of sarcasm.

"Mia," He started.

"This whole concerned-for-my-wellbeing thing is really throwing me off from the whole Siths-are-evil or whatever crap the Jedi spewed at me growing up," Mia commented, hoping to throw him off topic.

He didn't seem please at that. "I'm your brother," He reminded her after a long pause of silence. "Of course I'm concerned."

She peeled away the covers a bit more. Micah sighed. He'd begun to get the sense that she was only doing it because of that comment. It seemed the more human he acted, the more open or understanding she was. They were slowly reaching a level ground that didn't seem to crack open or collapse at the mere mention of the Empire or the Jedi or the last five years of her life that remained such a mystery to him.

"It's just another bad day," She whispered, closing her eyes.

"Perhaps when you're feeling better I might fulfill your request to leave the ship for a while," He offered, hoping to lure her out of bed. "We're heading for the Imarri system as we speak and we'll be there for several days."

Her eyebrows knit together ever so slightly, "We were only here for two days, is that normal?"

Micah nodded, "It was just to check on the progress of a new base, there won't be a day when there isn't another assignment waiting for me."

She sighed in response.

"Imuni is a human inhabited planet on the outer rim so that'd probably be the best time for an outing," He mentioned.

"I'd like that," She murmured, burying her head in the pillow.

Micah turned away, glancing over his shoulder on a whim, "I'll let you get some rest."

He closed the door and walked towards the serving cart, picking up his plate as he sat down on the couch and reviewed Empire data. Sometime later, just as he was considering going to bed, she poked her head out of her room.

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like it if I could have some access to the Jedi's archives, specifically their medical data," Mia requested quietly, "I want to see if they've ever seen cases like this before."

Micah nodded without a word, this he could do. "I'll get them to you in the morning."

"Thank you," She whispered before closing the door and going back to bed.

July 15th, Four years post Galactic Empire

The sun was partially hindered by trees as dusk approached, clouds building on the horizons. People were beginning to head toward the mess hall for dinner or head home after a long day of work. Claus ducked under a branch and cut through a small clearing between paths, the grass crunching quietly under his worn boots. He heard a childish shriek of laughter and looked to his left, watching for a brief second as Leia and Luke ran through the kitchen. Smiling, he went up the few steps and stopped on the porch for a moment before knocking on the door.

Anakin opened the door, looking uncomfortable and apprehensive the second he realized who'd decided to visit.

Claus sighed, "You missed your appointment," He stated.

"Sorry, wasn't eager to hear how I was going to die sooner rather than later," Anakin muttered sarcastically.

Suddenly Leia burst past them outside, followed by Luke as he chased after her, his hands coated in mud.

"Luke no!" Leia shouted as she narrowly dodged being smeared with mud, "Luke stop it."

Anakin shook his head, "Luke, if you get Leia muddy you have to pick up the mess in the living room by yourself," He threatened.

Luke turned around, "What, no!" He whined.

"If you don't want to clean all by yourself then come back inside and wash your hands," Anakin insisted, smirking as Luke trudged back inside.

"So, here for to give me a lecture?" Anakin guessed, looking to be in a slightly better mood.

"Not quite," Claus explained, "I came here to give you the latest on your test results."

Anakin sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Can we go inside because I'm really sick of standing," He offered.

Nodding, Claus followed him, smiling as Luke rushed past him, hands clean.

"Was it tough, raising them by yourself?" Claus asked, curious. In some ways Luke and Leia reminded him of his own children, for what little time he got to spend with his family whole.

Anakin frowned, eyebrows furrowed a little, "I, uh, it was a complicated situation," He tried to explain without going into it, "And I wasn't alone, I always had Mia."

"Who is honestly probably better at this than I am," Anakin muttered, staring at the floor. He ran his fingers through his hair, "So you have my test results?"

"I do," Claus stated as he lifted up the file he'd brought with him, "And they're considerably better than I had originally suspected. The scans showed less swelling than the others I've taken before and your midichlorians aren't swelling nearly as badly as they were originally."

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed, "So I'm doing better?"

Claus sighed, "For the time being. If she's moving as frequently as you say she is, then your condition can change very rapidly, so can hers."

He stopped for a moment, "Why do you think she's moving so much?" He asked. "If they were holding her prisoner, wouldn't she be in prison on some planet?"

"Not necessarily," Anakin explained, "It was Separatists policy to keep valuable prisoners aboard a ship for information. Count Dooku, General Grievous and a few other high ranking leaders among the Separatists used this strategy a lot. The reason the Republic never did was because the senate passed a law in the beginning of the war because it prevented prisoners from seeing any sort of trial and a lot of senators thought that was inhumane."

"Senators like your late wife," Claus surmised.

Anakin frowned, "Obi-wan talks too much," He muttered.

Claus almost told him he'd found out through the Jedrick Kaz, the bounty hunter he'd tasked to find Mia, but stopped himself because he couldn't easily explain why he was so interested in finding Mia without revealing she was his daughter.

"Anyway, no," Anakin continued back on topic, "Mia's not on any planet, I'm certain Darth Brutus is keeping her captive on his ship."

Claus frowned, giving up. "So, since I last saw you, how have you been doing?"

"A few bad days in between but it's better right now." Anakin answered. "Still feel like hell though."

The door opened again as Luke and Leia stepped inside, laughing and bickering only a little. Claus looked over his shoulder with a wry smile as they rushed up stairs. Anakin sighed, trying not to smile too much at their antics.

"They're a handful, aren't they," Claus mused.

"They have their moments," Anakin admitted, "For the most part though, they're the best of friends."

"You're very lucky, all things considered," Claus sighed.

Anakin smiled, "Yeah, I am," He murmured.

"Well, I better get dinner," Claus decided, standing up.

Pushing himself off the couch, Anakin walked him to the door. "I guess I'll see you later then?" He guessed, "I'll make my next appointment this time, promise."

Claus nodded, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Anakin murmured, watching the older man leave and head back in the direction of the mess hall.

Sighing, he walked into the kitchen to begin dinner, imagining Mia would be both parts shocked and apprehensive about it. He flipped through the faded, dog-eared pages of the little, handwritten cookbook until he found a recipe that seemed simple enough.

Somewhere in between trying to prevent the fish from burning while simultaneously cutting veggies, Obi-wan walked in, eyebrows raised questioning.

"You know what, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were attempting cooking again," Obi-wan teased.

"Yes, well bland sandwiches and soggy vegetables were getting a little old," Anakin commented sarcastically before turning to Obi-wan with a smirk, "No offense, Master."

"I seem to recall them having a mess hall on this base," Obi-wan pointed out.

Anakin smirked as he flipped the fish over, cringing at the black edging the sides, "Weird, didn't they have one of those on the other base?" He joked.

"And I hear the food is better here than it was on Myrkr," Obi-wan added.

He laughed under his breath, "Probably because we can actually get food that hasn't spent the last three months in some frozen box here," Anakin muttered with heavy sasrcasm.

The clanking of something metal on the floor stirred their attention, making Anakin swear as he picked up the knife that had fallen and tossed it into the sink.

"Anakin, you should be taking it easy," Obi-wan stated.

"Yeah, and my kids should get a home cooked meal once in a while," Anakin insisted before looking down at the pan as he turned off the stove, "Obi-wan, I just want to be able to do this much, I feel useless."

Sighing, Obi-wan grabbed a clean knife from the drawer, "Alright, but only on the condition that you at least let me help."

Stepping around Anakin, he began to chop the remaining vegetables.

"So out of curiosity, why did you tell Claus about my marriage with Padme?" Anakin asked, an eyebrow raised.

Obi-wan stopped for a moment. He wasn't entirely sure how Claus knew but he assumed it had come up somehow while searching for Mia. "It slipped out," He lied awkwardly.

"Obi-wan, it wasn't your secret to tell," Anakin told him sternly, almost sounding cross.

"Truth be told Anakin, out of everyone in the Jedi Order, Claus would have understood the best," Obi-wan explained.

His eyebrows furrowed, "What makes you say that?" Anakin asked warily.

"He was married, much like you," Obi-wan explained, "It's really a story he should tell you but at one point he was married."

"Was," Anakin murmured sadly, "She died, didn't she?"

"She did, they were both very young when she died," Obi-wan answered, "I was probably the only one who really knew."

Anakin stared at the half-charred fish, no longer cooking. "Were you close, when you were younger?" He questioned, "You certainly seemed to be friends here."

"It's a long story," Obi-wan answered.

"I think I'm giving up on dinner, just take the twins to the dining hall," Anakin gave in.

"Shall I bring you back something?" Obi-wan asked as he stepped out of the kitchen.

Anakin shrugged, "Not really all that hungry," He sighed.

July 16th, Four years post Galactic Empire

She huffed impatiently as her brother held out the white helmet. Arms crossed, she tapped the fingers of her left hand against her arm in a rhythmic pattern. The rest of the armor sat behind him, waiting. He waiting for her response, slightly more patient than usual.

"Isn't there some other way?" She asked.

She read his lips, her sense of the Force dampened by pain killers. "You want to go out in public, you have to wear this until we're safely off the ship." Micah insisted.

"I think I'd rather risk the execution," She joked.

He really didn't find that funny. Groaning, she took the helmet from him and motioned for him to step into the next room so she could change in peace. Carrying it all into her room, she dropped it heavily on the bed, shaking her head. Braiding her hair from behind her left ear, she wrapped it around her head repeatedly, pinning it down. Shedding her dress, she changed into the clothes she'd been wearing when he'd found her and began putting the armor on, albeit a bit clumsily.

Stepping into the common room, she held the helmet in hand.

"No offense to your planning skills but I little too short to be a Storm Trooper," She pointed out a bit challengingly.

He sighed, "It'll do for the time being," He stated. "Shall we?"

"For the record, my hearing isn't the best right now, so don't count on me being too verbal until we're off the ship," She warned.

"That's fine," He agreed, "Stay two steps behind me."

Nodding, Mia held back a comment about Jedi Masters telling their Padawans the exact same thing and put the helmet on, nodding that she was ready. He stepped outside the door, walking with purpose like he expected her to follow. Playing along, she followed dutifully, standing as straight as possible to mask the height difference. The elevator led them to a more crowded part of the ship, Storm Troopers and their superiors rushing about like they all had something very important to do. Some of them nodded her to brother, ignoring her entirely. It was truthfully a welcome change from her previous venture off the ship, with only a cloak to disguise her, stared at by every Imperial they passed.

Except for one person, someone she gathered was her brother's second in command, giving her a glance before seeming to shrug her presence off and return his attention to the task at hand.

She felt something change inside her brother, something that made his Force presence darker. Maybe it was because he had to step back into the mindset of a Sith, act the way he would on any normal day. She wondered if the mask had anything to do with it because he always seemed to change when he put it on again. Maybe it was the people he surrounded himself with, people who expected him to be the terrifying man behind the mask, the Emperor's right hand man.

They reached the hanger, crowded as Storm Troopers set up ships or did maintenance on them. She'd watched Anakin do it enough times to know most of what they were doing. They stopped the second they saw her brother and saluted him.

She was pretty sure someone was talking, a clone specifically, their voice familiar but smothered by her loose grasp on the Force. Perhaps that was the best, not that anyone aboard apart from her brother would notice her Force presence, if it was at its normal strength or if it was like it was now.

"That won't be necessary," She heard his mechanical voice reply.

She hadn't heard it quite that intense or dismissive before. Perhaps it was because he was protecting her, keeping her identity a secret.

He moved towards one of the ships, fit for someone so powerful within the Empire. Mia followed, moving like a Storm Trooper, possessed with some sort of purpose. In some ways, she missed the relaxed way the clones had acted while off duty during the war.

"_**Aw, General Rosslyn, nice to see you," Commander Trax greeted her with a sly grin.**_

"_**Mia, please," She requested, sitting down at the table. "What are you playing now?"**_

"_**Just a game of Farcies," Fray replied as he dropped some credits on the table, "Check Trax." **_

"_**Don't suppose you'd like to play," Trax offered.**_

_**She laughed, "You shouldn't ever gamble against a Jedi," She told them, "They tend to walk away with all your money."**_

"_**You're probably right," He agreed before holding up a jug of something that smelled awful, "Want a drink?"**_

_**Mia smiled and took it from his hands, taking a decent sip of it before wincing slightly. "Personally, I'm not a fan of this particular liquor," She commented, smiling at the slight warm in her chest on this cool night.**_

"_**Farcies," Fray piped up, placing his cards on the table.**_

_**Everyone groaned. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were cheating," Shocks replied irritably.**_

"_**Do everyone a favor and win back out money for us," Trax requested, "Now Fray's just cleaning up."**_

_**Smiling, she nodded as Trax shuffled the cards again and dealt them all a hand.**_

The door closed behind her as she stepped into the ship. It was much nicer than anything she'd flown in during the war. Her brother removed his helmet before turning to her. She read his lips as he told her it was safe to take her helmet off. Reaching around, she tried pulling it off with little success. His chest flattening with a sigh, he reached forward and pressed some button along the base of her neck. There was a click as he carefully removed the helmet. His eyes were a softer grey than before, not quite so tight or filled with stress. Something suddenly changed in him as the darkness of his Force presence faded more than it ever had around her.

"Thanks," She murmured.

He motioned for her to follow him into the cock pit. Sitting down in the cushioned co-pilot's seat, she buckled herself in. Micah sat down, flipping switches and buckling himself in simultaneously. They raised slowly before maneuvering out through the opening of the hanger. They stars shined around them as they approached a green and yellow planet.

"So how long do we have?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.

"However long you need, as far as they know I'm chasing down a lead on a Jedi," He explained.

Mia sighed because that was sometimes true, even if that wasn't the case today. They flew quickly towards the planet as her brother spoke through the comm. line to a control station orbiting the planet.

July 16th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin stood up with greater ease than he had lately, feeling surprisingly better. As he washed the dishes he reached out through the bond he shared with Mia. She was closer, closer than she had ever been. He could almost feel her emotions, even with her dampened Force presence. Maybe it was a sign, they had more time for now. Finishing with the dishes, he walked into the living room where Luke and Leia were, playing pretend. He was pretty sure Leia was a princess and Luke was a knight.

"I'm here to rescue you," Leia announced.

"What, you're a princess, why would you be rescuing me?" Luke questioned, confused.

Leia crossed her arms with a smile, "Because I'm an awesome princess and I can kick butt if I want to," She stated.

"Nuh-uh," Luke argued. "Princesses aren't supposed to kick butt."

"Actually, I've known a princess or two, a queen even, to be brave when she needs to," Anakin mentioned, thinking of Padme. "I've also known a knight or two to be in need of rescuing."

Leia grinned smugly, "See!" She stated, feeling she'd won.

"I have to go to work now, Obi-wan's supposed to be here soon," Anakin mentioned, "You're going to behave."

It really wasn't a question, more of an order to behave. Parenting had changed him in some asspects.

Obi-wan stepped inside, not feeling the need to knock. He spent most of his free time here anyway.

"Well, I should get going," Anakin stated.

He bent down to hug Luke, "It'll see you later," Anakin told his son, ruffling his hair affectionately.

Reaching over he hugged Leia, kissing her forehead, "Goodbye Princess."

"Bye Daddy," She replied, smiling.

He went outside, walking quickly along the trail towards the building on the far end of the base, the ship hanger. It was kind of nice to be able to work without the constant exhaustion.

July 16th, Four years post Galactic Empire

She laughed as his uncomfortable expression, eyes shifting away. Had he never shopped before? If so, how had he managed to gather the dresses she wore on a daily basis together. He didn't seem like he was used to this at all. Turning her attention back to the rack in front of her, she picked out several shirts in her size, most of them long sleeve, some black and some in other colors. She was dressing like a Rebel again and it felt good. Turning around, she picked out several tank tops to wear under her shirts.

"Would you just relax already?" She questioned, suppressing a smile.

She turned around just as he was replying, "This isn't exactly my area of expertise," He commented, his posture stiff and rigid.

"Nobody's asking much of you apart from carrying my things," She reminded him.

They moved on to her picking out pants, mostly cargoes and the conforming tights she preferred. They checked out, buying the clothes. He didn't blink at the price of the wide collection of clothing items, price clearly wasn't something that highly mattered. He paid in Imperial credits, avoiding any sort of method that might lead to a paper trail. Smart.

She was about to drag him off to another store before he stopped her. "I'd rather wait outside, I'll just give you the money." He insisted.

Smiling slightly, Mia accepted his money and walked inside. It was mostly dresses and other, more feminine clothing. It really wasn't why she was here, she needed underwear and the previous store hadn't been in high supply.

She glided in between clothing racks before stopping when she saw the dress. It was white with subtle lace details and thin shoulder straps. Reaching out, her fingers grazed the fabric, memories coming back.

_**She walked into their room, enjoying the sound of rain hitting the rooftop. Anakin sat at the window seat, looking out the window. He wasn't particularly fond of rain but this time he wore a wistful smile. Then he turned towards her, noticing her. Anakin smiled mischievously, his eyes roaming along her body, along her slender legs and bare shoulders. Sighing through her nose, she moved towards him. His fingers reached around her hips as he slowly guided her down onto his lap. Her legs hung off the side of the window seat, her toes barely touching the ground.**_

"_**I like this," He murmured, his hands trailing along the fabric to rest along her ribcage.**_

_**She smiled softly, "Really?" She whispered.**_

"_**Really," Anakin replied, his fingers brushing along her arms, the skin raised in Goosebumps.**_

"_**Me too," Mia whispered, leaning in to kiss him softly.**_

_**His fingers brushed through her hair, left loose from her braid. He held her close before pulling the throw blanket over her shoulders, keeping her warm. Mia smiled she they kissed, soft prickles running along her spine as he brushed his warm hands along her thighs, the fabric of her dress brushing up.**_

Taking a deep breathe, she picked up one of the hangers, her fingers touching the soft fabric. Draping it over her arm carefully, she moved onto another section in the store. She picked out enough items to get her by comfortably and paid quickly.

She stepped outside into the crowded pathway, clustered on all sides by the stores of this shopping center. Not seeing Micah immediately, she closed her eyes and tuned in on his Force presence, to her left and off a short distance. Opening her eyes again, Mia followed her Jedi instincts as she weaved in and out between the crowds. She found him leaning against a wall, the bags from the previous store at his feet. He looked up as she approached.

"All done," She told him with a smile.

Something smoky and spicy caught her senses as she sniffed the air, her mouthwatering. "Can we eat? I'm suddenly starving."

"I suppose I can spare an extra hour or two to feed you," Micah agreed with a smirk, "Not sure how long my men can hold the fort without me though."

She rolled her eyes, "Shut up, you hate Empire food just as much as I do," She groaned as she dragged him off in the direction of food.

Micah let out a surprising chuckle, so sudden and short that she almost missed it. They wove through the river of people passing around them, moving quickly.

Finally they found the restaurant the smell originated from. They managed to get a table surprisingly quickly. As she perused the menu she listened as Micah asked their waiter what the best dish was.

"I'd recommend the chef's selection today, it's a nice cut of meat, spiced and grilled. It comes with soup," He explained, "It's one of my favorites."

Mia looked up at him and smiled, thanking him as he walked away to fill their drink orders.

"So you've been strangely calm so far," Mia commented slowly, her grey eyes flickering up as she studied her brother. "Out in the open, no mask, no backup, I'm a little surprised really."

"This isn't exactly my first venture out into the public," Micah explained, "I wear the mask to hide my identity and in not wearing it I hide who I really am. I can walk around in public and blend in."

"It's honestly pretty smart," Mia mused, sitting her iced tea, sweetened slightly by some sort of citrus fruit.

He nodded before reaching out into his pocket and pulling out an information key, "As you requested, a compilation of the medical files of the Jedi Order," He told her. "I'm not sure what you'll find though, we don't have most of the files available."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why?" She inquired slowly.

"During the attack on the Jedi Temple there was a fire in one of the computer storage rooms, a lot of data was lost and what we do have was at least partially corrupted," He explained.

"I don't understand, I saw my file, it looked pretty complete," She murmured before her eyes widened, realizing her slip.

Micah sighed and stared out the window for a moment, "I'm honestly not surprised," He commented tiredly, "The reason your file was so complete was because the Emperor had your file on hand."

She almost asked why before the reason donned on her. Of course he would keep an eye on her. She and Anakin had trained side by side as Padawans, she had more of an influence of him that one might suspect. The night of the Purges certainly proved that. Not only that, she and Micah were twins, Darth Sidious probably wanted to be prepared should they ever reunite.

Mia swore quietly, shaking her head.

"In any event, most of the recent files are corrupted, some of the outdated files made it," He added, "I included those."

Taking the information disk, she tucked it into her pocket. In the back corner of her mind she knew she was disappointed to know she'd never had the complete Jedi Archives. It meant that she might not ever find out who Patient A5B99852 was. It was probably too much to hope that her father might still be alive.

Then her focus turned back to the comment about outdated files. Why would some survive but not all? It was far too convenient to be a coincidence.

"Somebody set fire to that room on purpose?" Mia questioned in wide eyed surprised.

Micah sighed and nodded. Suddenly the waiter was back and they ordered, barely paying any attention to him as he left.

"I have a personal computer you can use to sift through the data," Micah added.

"Thank you," She murmured, "I mean it, thank you, this means a lot to me."

The right corner of his mouth twitched up slightly. It wasn't the normal smirk he wore when he was amused or feeling particularly sarcastic. There was something genuine behind it.

It happened after lunch as they were walking to catch a cab to the transportation center. They were weaving through the crowded, narrow walkway, people pushing against them in the post-lunch rush. A sudden rush of warmth crashed on her, stopping her in her tracks as she turned around, wide-eyed. She could feel him, so close. Could they speak through the bond they shared? Could she tell him she was alright?

_**Anakin?**_

Someone gently grasped her forearm, "Is everything alright?" Micah asked.

Her eyes roamed along the crowd as she calmed her racing heart, "I'm fine, I just felt a little weird for a moment," She lied. She'd never felt better.

"I think maybe you've had enough for today?" Micah suggested, "Come on, I don't want you to wear yourself out."

Nodding, she followed him again, trying to resist the urge to reach out through the Force.

July 16th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin sat up suddenly, his fingers gripping the sheets tightly as took a deep breath. Standing, he moved towards the window and gazed out at the sky, gold melding with a deeper blue than before as the day wound out to its end. He could have sworn he heard her but as he tried to reach out towards her he felt her drifting away.

* * *

Wow it's been a long time and I just realized that it's been a year since I first posted the story and its beginning chapters. I know it's been a seriously long time since and update and in the last chapter I promised to focus a bit more on Claus and his dynamics with everyone. Unfortunately my story file became corrupted and began eating fresh sections of the story. Fortunately I save all my completed chapters individually so I didn't lose everything and I was able to create a new file in the cloud.

So finally I had to address it, events and memories from the Clone Wars. I know characters often mention or think about the events of the war but I've never really gone in depth. Also, I think it's worth noting that most of these chapters are going to be memory heavy to compensate for the lack of Anakin/Mia scenes. **If you missed it or aren't currently following my side story Adventures of a Past Long Gone, there was a new chapter posted pretty recently.**

Please review, they're very encouraging and I always get super, ridiculously excited with each one I get to read.


	23. Echos of the Past still Haunting Us

So today it's March 17th (St. Patrick's Day) and my 20th birthday. Last year I posted a new chapter on my 19th birthday so I'm continuing that tradition. I even sacrificed several hours of sleep this last week to get this completed so I really hope you enjoy it.

* * *

July 18th, Four years post Galactic Empire

She sighed, eyes roaming along the screen, searching for data. The files were bare to the bones it seemed, stripped of identities and dates, history. Mia closed her eyes, frustrated beyond belief. Holding the hand-held device, she swiped her fingers along the surface. She opened a search tab and looked for medical records with brain swelling. She was surprised by how many there were but most where the result of a concussion or two.

_**How am I supposed to figure this out?**_

She could have sworn she smelled smoke and it brought her back to that night, nearly five years ago. She shut her eyes tightly, willing away the memory before looking up again. The kettle whistled, steam puffing out. Standing suddenly, she swayed, gripping onto the arm of the couch to gain her balance before moving towards the stove and shutting it off.

She hated that the drugs made it near impossible to hear. In some ways she was too used to it truly be bothered—until it interfered with her life somehow, like nearly starting a fire.

_**I should probably figure out something around that**_, she thought.

When she was a Padawan, living with Anakin and Obi-wan, she had had a device attached to the outside of the kettle. It was more or less a thermometer that flashed a bright light once it reached a certain temperature.

Steaming cup in hand, she sat down and resumed reading. One file stuck out, a young Padawan with brain swelling leading to incredible pain, as well as swelling of his midichlorians.

"Died at 15:31. Autopsy showed cranial hemorrhaging"

Her heart plummeted reading that. Mia struggled to breathe as she reread the file, over and over again.

She skimmed down the list of files, looking for anything similar, anything less devastating. The results were drawing up a blank, too corrupted to be of use. It was only the last fifteen years, it was possible there were more cases before that.

She felt someone gently tap her shoulder. Looking up, Mia smiled faintly at her brother.

"_How are you feeling?_" He signed sloppily, eyebrows furrowed in genuine concern.

Something in Micah was changing, she could see it in his eyes.

"_Um, pain killers aren't exactly helping my hearing_," She mentioned.

"_You were in pain?_" He repeated, worried.

She waved her hand in a so-so motion, wanting to ease his worry. "_Just the anti-inflammatories and Prociprin_," She explained, her hand making a 'P' sign as she waved it in a clockwise motion in front of her temple.

Micah's eyebrows furrowed, confused as he struggled to understand exactly what she was saying.

"_Just the anti-inflammatory and Prociprin_," She repeated slowly, carefully pronouncing each word as she signed.

"Any luck with the data?" He asked her, speaking instead.

She shook her head, "_Nothing overly promising at least_," She answered, trying not to slur. It was proving challenging on this particular medication, even if she didn't feel out of it—which she generally preferred.

"I've only gone back the last fifteen years, there's a lot more to look through," Mia added.

He nodded and sat down next to her, the emerald green couch cushion sinking almost unnoticeably. She adjusted her black long sleeve shirt, pulling the sleeves down as she shivered.

"I think I'm going to go lay down, I'm getting a little cold," She mentioned before standing up slowly.

Closing the door behind her, she collapsed on the bed, lured by the soft mattress. Rolling over, she pulled the picture of Anakin and the twins from her back pocket. Her heart ached painfully as her thumb traced over their features. She wanted so desperately to return to them but right now it wasn't possible. Perhaps at this point, Micah might be more willing to let her go. They'd gotten to know each other better, become close. He had offered to bring her family closer to her, maybe he'd understand her need to return to them.

Her eyelids drifted closer together as she slipped the bent and slowly fading photo back in her pocket before pulling the blankets over her.

July 19th, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin sighed nervously, shifting his weight between his feet before he finally gained up the courage to go up to the house and knock. The deck creaked as he stepped to the door and knocked. The wind drifted through the trees as the seconds passed slowly. The door opened and Claus's eyes widened in surprise.

"Anakin," He spoke, confused, "Is something wrong?"

He shook his head, "I wondered if I could ask you something real quick?" He mentioned.

Nodding, Claus motioned for him to step inside. Anakin took a deep breath as he looked around the living room. Sitting down on the couch, he tried to figure out just how to voice the question.

"Obi-wan mentioned something strange to me a few nights ago," He started, "He said you once had a wife?"

Claus sighed, his hand scrubbing across his face tiredly, "Obi-wan talks too much," He muttered.

"I wanted to know more, but he said I should hear it from you," Anakin added.

Nodding Claus looked up, "I suppose if anyone would understand, it would be you," He agreed, "It's a bit of a long story though."

"I'm not exactly going anywhere," Anakin stated.

"I met her on a diplomatic mission, her planet was in the middle of a civil war. I was only a Padawan then, barely eighteen," Claus started.

"I was nineteen when I got married," Anakin pointed out.

Claus sighed, nodding. "My master and I were visiting a factory and we were speaking with one of the floor managers. Suddenly I hear this scream and I turn and watch as one of the other managers on site dragged this tiny woman by her hair across the room. She was kicking and screaming, fighting him like her life depended on it. For a half second she got free before he pushed to her the ground. She hit her forehead on a piece of machinery."

Anakin nodded, wanting to know what happened next.

"Women there were, are, treated horribly but I stopped him before he could hurt her further and I offered to take a look at her cut. Then she tells me she doesn't need a man to take care of her," He continued, "But finally I managed to convince her to at least let me look at it."

"I swear to this day I have never met anyone quite like her. She was treated like dirt her whole life and rather than hide or try to appease anyone who might hurt her, she was spirited and brave. She fought for any freedom she could get her hands on," Claus explained.

"We were there for several months trying to end the civil war and in that time we truly fell in love with each other. We got married and I found a small home on the outskirts of town for us to live. We decided that as soon as I completed my medical degree I'd leave the Order and I'd take her someplace safe where we could live and start a family."

"So what happened?" Anakin asked.

"Conflict was rising once more so they sent me alone, without my master, to try and prevent the start of another war. But when I got there, I found out she was pregnant, five months pregnant to be precise," Claus explained.

Anakin swallowed tightly, in many ways it was like the situation he and Padme had been in. He'd come home on leave from the Clone Wars to find out she was six months pregnant.

"You had a child," Anakin murmured, shocked.

"Two, actually," Claus told him sadly. "A boy and a girl, like you."

"So what happened to them?" Anakin questioned.

He knew now what it was like to be a parent, and there was nothing that would keep him from his children.

"My son died very young, I didn't even get to be there when it happened." Claus explained, his voice tight and pained, "My wife, she had a severe lung conditioned after years of working in factories, I was there for the last few weeks of her life."

"And your daughter?" Anakin asked, saddened, "Is she still alive?"

Claus nodded with a faint smile, "She is," He answered.

"Did you ever get to raise her?" Anakin asked.

"Sadly, no, I was not the one to raise her," He replied, smiling sadly, "But I knew the people who did and I know her family loves her very much."

Anakin frowned "Did you at least know her?"

"I did, for some time we were very close. Then the war happened and we were separated," Claus explained, "So, for the time, no, she's not in my life but that doesn't stop me from looking for her."

"I hope you find her," Anakin told him, "I really do."

"Thank you," Claus murmured, smiling faintly.

July 20th, Four years post Galactic Empire

_**It was impossibly hot, the summer swelter pushing down on her body like it was trying to bury her. Mia glanced down the order list as she walked down the busy street back to the Temple, making sure everything was correct.**_

_**She didn't even notice him until his cold fingers gripped her wrist firmly. She turned around, looking up at Anakin in surprise.**_

_**He stood in front of her, the hood of his cloak hung so low it was near impossible to see his blue eyes, piercing and pained. Stepping so close he stood over her, his hand brushed along her jaw, his fingers tracing over her cheekbone. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came. Mia sensed something so different about him it made her struggle to breathe. There were walls around him she could not breech, could not climb, could not bring down.**_

"_**Whatever you do, don't go to the Temple tonight," He whispered, his voiced almost drowned about by the rush of the crowd around them. "Don't go there no matter what."**_

_**She tried to ask why but her throat felt strangled. She spoke with her eyes, begging him to tell her why. What was so terrible she couldn't return to the Temple tonight?**_

_**Anakin broke away from her and turned around, the place where his fingers once strayed leaving her cheek warm.**_

"_**Anakin!" She cried out desperately, the world around her plunging into darkness.**_

She jolted up, a hand on her shoulder. Mia turned around, startled when she didn't see the eyes she expected to find. She brushed him off and shifted so her knees were pressed into her chest.

"Your nightmare, wha—?" She cut him off, "I don't want to talk about it."

"_You shouted his name_," Micah signed as best as he could.

She looked away, "It was the night of the Purges," She whispered.

He tried to save her, there was a part of Anakin that was still clinging to who he was, even if the darkness was creeping in. He found her.

"Did you ever see him after that?" Micah inquired slowly. He didn't mean it to sound so prying, he wasn't interrogating her. He wanted to understand. What had she seen?

"I never saw him after that," She answered.

There were parts of him she never saw again. She never saw the innocence the war had stolen from them. She never saw the freedom in which he carried himself before that night. She never saw his mischievous eyes without seeing shadows of the memories that haunted him. There were parts of him she could not reach, not then, not now. She could not reach the reasons for the terror that lurked under the surface the months before his fall. She could not reach the innocent boy she once knew so well.

She could accept that, accept him for who he was now. She loved him, regardless of how much he'd changed. That would never change.

Standing suddenly, Mia retreated to her room without a word. Micah stayed behind, respecting her need for space.

July 22nd, Four years post Galactic Empire

Anakin sat on the porch, staring through the tree branches into the sky. He searched the stars, holding onto the warmth her closeness brought even when they were so far apart. He thought of the night they first tried alcohol, the first time Mia ever really talked about her home planet, a place she never considered home. They'd talked about Tatooine too many times to count, what it was like living there, the people he missed.

Mia very rarely talked about Ammi-seru.

"_**The reason he never told me about it was because women were practically treated like slaves."**_

The alcohol had delayed his ability to truly process it and by the time he could really give a proper response Mia told him she didn't want to talk about it.

But when he truly stopped to think about it, it angered him so much. He'd wanted for so long to end slavery and that night was the first time he really thought about what that meant. It wasn't just slaves, it was the suppression of all people and species, men and women. And here he'd gone and jump-started the most oppressive government in history.

Before he could really remark on what a depressing thought that was, Obi-wan stepped outside. "You know, it's getting rather late," He commented.

"I'm just remembering," Anakin whispered.

Obi-wan sighed and sat down, two glasses of dark liquid in hand.

"You know I hate drinking," Anakin muttered irritably.

"I think perhaps you can make an exception tonight," Obi-wan commented, offering the glass, "Assuming of course you're not currently on any medication?"

Sighing, Anakin took the glass from him and took a sip of the awful tasting liquor.

"So, you more or less locked yourself in your room tonight, any particular reason?" Obi-wan commented,

Anakin took another sip, suppressing a cringe at the taste, "I'm tracking Darth Brutus's location. If I find him, I find Mia."

"Are you really so sure?" Obi-wan questioned.

"I am," Anakin declared stubbornly.

"You're forgetting the fact that storming The Vengeance or whatever pretentious name he calls that blasted ship would be just about, entirely impossible?" Obi-wan pointed out, "Or that you'll have to fight Darth Brutus just to get anywhere near her?"

Anakin scowled at the dark forest in front of him, "Whatever it takes," He insisted, determination so strong in his voice it breathed its own promise to save her.

July 19th, Four years post Galactic Empire

It was late into the night and Obi-wan was contemplating going back to his cabin for a change. They sat on the couch, staring at the wall in silence. There wasn't much to be said really. Anakin had brought Obi-wan in on what little research he could gather and they'd both quickly come to the conclusion that Darth Brutus moved too frequently and too inconsistently for whatever reliable information they might have to be of use. There was no way to guarantee they could plan and stage a fight to save Mia with the Rebellion without a lot of people getting killed. That given, they didn't have enough time to wait for the right opportunity or the perfect plan. Mia and Anakin were both running out of time.

They also didn't know what state they'd find Mia in. She was the strongest person Anakin knew but even she had her limits.

"Honestly, what bothers me most are the periods of complete absence," Obi-wan stated, the exhaustion wearing him down, "There are weeks, sometimes even a month, without a single sighting of him."

"Perhaps he's on leave," Anakin suggested tiredly, "I don't know, I don't even know if I have all the information available."

"What about sightings of his ship?" Obi-wan questioned.

Anakin thought about it for a second, "It's not as though we were always glued to our ships, we'd be on the other side of the outer rim without our ships sometimes," He agreed.

He stared down at the large map on the coffee table for a minute, pins with notes attached about sightings of the Sith. "Hold on, I know his ship has been seen a few times recently," He muttered as he pulled out data sheets he'd printed from the Rebellion's database.

Skimming down the list of sightings, Anakin stopped for a moment, "Hold on, his ship was in the Ammi system for over a week after he took Mia," He pointed out, shocked.

"What could Darth Brutus have gained from taking her to her home planet?" Obi-wan questioned quietly, "It's not as though she felt any fondness towards it after she found out."

"No, that's not what I was thinking about," Anakin corrected, "She couldn't have been on that ship for the whole ten days."

Obi-wan's eyebrows furrowed, "What makes you so sure?" He questioned.

"Look where Ammi-seru is in proximity to we are, it's practically all the way across the galaxy, no wonder the bond was strained. The only reason it hadn't become apparent was because we were still on Myrkr which is nearly half that distance." Anakin explained, his left hand running wildly through his hair as his mind whirled. "Then July 2nd, the day after her birthday, I was admitted to the medical center, she had to be in the same amount of pain I was. Within hours of my being admitted she was on a ship, moving somewhere closer."

"So you think Darth Brutus took her to a medical center himself?" Obi-wan clarified, uncertain.

"Maybe, maybe her pain made him change his plans," Anakin suggested.

Obi-wan shook his head, "No, that doesn't make sense, he has a ship with the most technologically advanced medical care, why take her anywhere else?"

"Why take her to her home planet right before her birthday?" Anakin challenged.

Obi-wan pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache building. "So you think there might be some sort of personal connection before Darth Brutus and Mia somehow," He guessed. "Fine, start with how he might be connected to her."

Anakin sighed, "I don't know. Is it possible he knew her somehow on Ammi-seru?" He asked.

Obi-wan shook his head, "Not possible," He stated.

"How can you be so sure?" Anakin questioned, confused and mildly irritated.

"Because I know what he looks like, he'd have to have been about her age at the time," Obi-wan stated, rubbing his temples.

Anakin stopped for a moment, "You've seen the face of the second most evil person in the universe," He started slowly.

"Not exactly, Claus has," Obi-wan tried to explain. "While you were still in the medical ward I went to visit him. He told me about what happened with Darth Brutus on Pallaxides after I left with Luke."

_**He found Claus sitting on the floor of his cramped little office, papers and files strewn everywhere. He didn't even seem to notice Obi-wan until he closed to door behind him. Claus looked up at him with the eyes of a man terrified of losing his daughter, his only family left in the world.**_

"_**I spared him, it's all my fault," He muttered, broken, "I spared him."**_

"_**Who did you spare?" Obi-wan queried, lost.**_

"_**Darth Brutus, I spared him on Pallaxides," He murmured, "I spared him only to have him take Mia."**_

_**Obi-wan sighed, "Why did you spare him?" He asked.**_

_**He remembered the nightmares of Mustafar and Anakin suffering as his body burned, sparing the man who was him brother and friend. He didn't know what would have happened if that came to pass.**_

"_**I saw his face," Claus murmured, "I looked at him and I couldn't kill him. He was so young, Mia's age and I felt too much guilt. He was someone's child and maybe he'd been forced into the life of a Sith, or maybe he'd chosen it but whatever the circumstance all I could think about was if it had been Mia and I couldn't kill him."**_

"_**Truthfully, while I might wish things had gone the other way Claus, nothing good ever came from a Jedi killing in cold blood," Obi-wan told him understandingly.**_

Anakin looked away, shocked, "You clearly failed to mention this."

"Truth be told, I didn't think much good would have come of sharing the story." Obi-wan explained tiredly.

"What if Darth Brutus knew Mia from a previous mission of hers?" Anakin offered. "What if he used to be a Jedi before he turned?"

Obi-wan looked up hesitantly.

"It's not as though Darth Sidious hasn't turned Jedi to the dark side before," Anakin pointed out.

"Even if he'd been a Jedi once, I'm sure Claus would have at the very least recognized him," Obi-wan replied.

Anakin looked down tiredly, "Whatever the reason, I think I'll get some sleep," He decided.

Just as he was going up the steps he heard a knock at the door. Turning, eyebrows furrowed, Anakin moved to open the door. Before him stood two of the men who'd been on Mia's mission. One of them held a box close to his chest.

"Anakin Skywalker?" The man holding the box asked, despite looking like he knew the answer.

"Yes?" He replied, curious.

The man held out the box, "This belonged Mia, I thought we should at least give them to you," He explained, "I know she'd want you to have them."

Anakin took the box slowly, gazing at the contents. It was mostly just clothes and a book she'd brought with her. Still, in this life they'd never been allowed to be sentimental and any photo or personal item they ever owned was kept like a sign of rebellion. At least having this, this made it almost easier.

"Th-thank you," He whispered, touched. He looked up at them, "I mean it, thank you."

They nodded and turned to leave. Closing the door slowly, Anakin looked at Obi-wan, who looked too surprised to speak.

Obi-wan gazed at his former Padawan and realized Anakin needed to do this alone. Respecting that need, that private moment, he stood up. "I think I'll head back to my cabin," He declared slowly, retreating.

Anakin nodded, barely even noticing. Obi-wan left without another word.

Moving towards the chair by the fire place, he sat down and stared at the contents. He noticed the black long sleeve with the faded red design that at one point belonged to him before Mia caught hold of it. He picked up the book, his fingers brushing along the faded type of the worn spine. This book had seen better days. Reaching further into the box, he pulled out one of her thermal shirts before unearthing a small stack of folded papers. Eyebrows furrowing, he picked up the first in the stack.

_**Anakin,**_

_**I couldn't exactly send this to you so I suppose I'm going to have wait until I get home to give it to you. You wouldn't like Ish'einda. It hasn't stopped raining since I got here. I keep wondering if I'll catch a break and it'll ease up long enough to actually write this letter without it getting wet but no such luck.**_

_**They stuck me with the night shift, the great joy of being the most recent to complete my medical training. It's not bad, pretty quietly honestly. Most of the patients are asleep during my shift so I'm mostly just making sure something catastrophic happens. The people I'm working with here are really wonderful though.**_

_**I miss you, really miss you. I keep thinking about what you're doing back on base. I also keep wondering how Luke and Leia are doing but I guess I'll have to wait and find out.**_

_**I think my shift is about to start, I need to finish this letter.**_

_**I love you, I really do. I'll write you a new letter tomorrow. **_

–_**Mia**_

Anakin smiled, there was something so carefree about the way she wrote sometimes. Sometimes it might come across as rambling but he knew it was just her leaving all her thoughts on paper as they came to her. Biting his lip, Anakin reached for the next letter, unsure of what their order was.

_**Anakin,**_

_**I think I lied. It hasn't been a full day, it's barely been eight hours I just can't sleep. No, it hasn't stopped raining and yes, this is my third attempt at a letter because the rain is making my ink run. I'm just trying to think of tea and a real bed right now. I forgot how uncomfortable cots were. I'm also missing your obsession with blankets right now because it's so cold here. The food here's okay, it's mostly stew and sometimes bread if we're lucky. We practically have to fight for it when it comes out of the oven.**_

_**Did I mention there is absolutely no tea here? What mission doesn't have tea? My trust in this rebellion is a little shaken now. It doesn't help that the coffee is horrible. It tastes stale all the time, even when it's supposed to be fresh.**_

_**Another though, my birthday is coming up. I'm really hoping I won't spend it apart from everyone but I doubt it. It's weird, I'm nearly twenty-six. I don't even feel twenty-six, I can't even describe how I feel. In some ways I don't feel nearly that old but mentally I feel a bit older. It's hard to explain.**_

_**In any event, I'm getting tired so I think I'll get a few more hours of sleep before it's my shift. **_

–_**Mia **_

He read through the next few letters, clinging to her words. Reading into the box, he pulled out the next, his heart sinking as he realized it was the final letter.

_**Anakin,**_

_**I'm thinking of starting my own rebellion, the coffee will mysteriously vanish until my demands are met. I might add a few extra blankets to that demand. The rain and the constant cold is leaving me feeling chilled to the bone. I can't even claim to be exaggerating because I can't stop shivering. I've also been getting these slight but continuing headaches that, if I didn't know better, were withdrawal symptoms from tea. That would, of course, be admitting I had any sort of addiction to it so no, it's not quite that.**_

_**I had this dream about you last night, or day, technically. We were in the middle of a forest for some reason and I was wearing a dress. You took my hand and suddenly we were dancing and I honestly can't remember the last time we danced. I think we were still Padawans at the time, before Obi-wan found out.**_

_**I really want nothing more than to be back in your arms. I miss you too**_

It ended there, making him wonder if that was the moment when she heard Darth Brutus was coming. At what point had she realized there was no chance they could get away or save the patients. And when did she decide to risk her life for perfect strangers. She was a Jedi but it was purely in her nature to put others before herself. Just look at the last few years when he was struggling with who he was, who he would become because of what he'd done.

July 25th, Four years post Galactic Empire

He'd gone back to the ship earlier than he was technically supposed to. He didn't like the idea of leaving Mia alone for this long. It was late at night so he didn't announce his presence, knowing all too well she needed her rest more than anything. That didn't stop Micah from opening the door to check on her. He noticed the way the covers had been kicked partially in her sleep. Venturing into her room, he pulled them over her shoulder until he noticed the thin paper in her hand. Slipping it out, he held it up into the light behind him, eyes widening.

Skywalker sat on a couch, two children sitting at his side. The girl with curly brown hair and the boy with blond hair. For a moment he thought they were her children before remembering his Master's comment about the late Senator Amidala's pregnancy before the rise of the Empire. His Master had assumed the children had died with her. Clearly it wasn't the case.

Suddenly everything about his sister made so much sense. It was no wonder she never revealed anything about her family or taken him up on his offer to bring them to her. Sucking in a deep breath, he placed the photo back in her hand where it belonged and left her room.

* * *

I'd like to mention that in many ways Mia's feelings on her birthday and her age are very similar to mine. I didn't force my feelings onto her though for a moment it felt that way. I feel this serious connection to Mia because she is a character I created and a lot of who I am resonates with her which is why she's such a dynamic character. I feel like those were also her emotions towards her age. Also, given the fact that a year ago, when the story started, Mia was 21 and now she's 26.

Also the Micah/Darth Brutus thing. Mia being in his life is really changing who he is as a person and his identity as a Sith is beginning to crumble. That is all, I think I'll go catch up on some sleep


	24. Until Necessary Truths Resurface

I'd like to mention that this chapter is very dream/nightmare heavy, so to avoid all the visual bulk of reading through bold italics, I've made all the dreams in normal font with the exception of the first nightmare, when it begins, and and when there's any signing. Enjoy

* * *

July 26th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

It had happened during breakfast. Sort of. Claus had been sitting down with a plate of eggs and coffee, looking forward to his day off. He'd been working more hours than usual this past work, including a double shift the day before. Last night was the first decent night's sleep he'd gotten in a week. Then suddenly Obi-wan sat down in front of him with coffee and a plate of food, smiling in a way that was almost uncomfortably friendly. Claus took another sip of coffee.

"Starting your shift or finishing it?" Obi-wan inquired before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Good morning to you too," Claus mumbled with a subtle undertone of sarcasm. "It's my day off actually."

Obi-wan nodded, biting into his toast.

"So, how's Anakin doing?" Claus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I suppose in better spirits," Obi-wan replied cryptically, "Though he has been feeling run down the last few days. Exhausted, struggling to keep up with the twins."

Claus nodded slowly, sipping his coffee as he considered what chance he had at coercing Anakin to receive an addition checkup two days before his actual appointment.

"And, well, you see normally I'd be helping Anakin out with the twins but I've missed a lot of work already and my supervisors are beginning to get impatient with me," Obi-wan mentioned. He smiled a little too innocently for Claus's taste. "And I was hoping you wouldn't mind helping out."

Claus raised an eyebrow and took a sip of coffee, pretending to think it over. "Why do I get the sense there's a lot more to this than just getting me to 'help out'?"

Obi-wan gave that far-too-innocent smile, "You know me Claus, I'd never have an ulterior motive," He insisted.

Claus sighed, considering it. Anakin, Luke and Leia were Mia's family and it was becoming increasingly clear every day that she loved them very much. She'd want someone to look out for them if she couldn't do it herself. Not only that, the closer he got to Anakin and the twins, the more he became attached to them. It might seem selfish, but they were the only ties left he had to his daughter and he clung to every one of them.

"Alright," He agreed, "I'll head over there after breakfast."

Later, after both Jedi finished their breakfast, Obi-wan left and Claus made his way outside.

For the most part, this part of the base was relatively quiet as most residents were either in the mess hall or eating their breakfast at their assigned house. It was an unusually cool morning, considering it was the middle of summer. Claus carefully stepped onto the porch of Anakin's house and knocked on the door. He heard Leia call out to her father before she opened the door. She smiled widely, all her little teeth showing.

"Hi Claus!" She greeted him cheerfully.

Anakin rushed down the stairs, gently pulling Leia back, "What have I said about opening the door unless we're expecting company?"

"Obi-wan said Claus might visit," Leia pointed out, almost in the know-it-all way Mia used to do when she was younger.

"I, really?" Anakin paused before glancing over at Claus, "He failed to mention that to me."

"I get the feeling he just wanted to get a break today," Claus played it off. "Besides, it's my day off and I don't mind helping out."

Anakin hesitated before shrugging, "Could you get some sort of breakfast that doesn't come out of a box started?" He inquired, "I need to get them dressed."

Nodding, Claus stepped further into the house and moving into the kitchen.

He heard Leia giggle as Anakin picked her up, "Okay Princess, time to get dressed," He told her as they moved up the stairs.

"But I want to wear my PJ's," Leia whined.

"Yes, but Princesses don't get to sit around in pajamas all day," Anakin pointed out.

"Nuh'uh," Leia argued, "Princesses can do whatever they want."

Anakin's laughter faintly echoed from upstairs as Claus checked the cabinets for something feasible to make into breakfast. He lucked out and found a box of pancake mix. Getting to work, he got the batter going before pulling out a clean pan. Anakin came down sometime later, curious.

"I didn't know you could cook," Anakin commented.

Claus shrugged, "I have a few meals I can make," He answered.

"It's still more than I can do," Anakin mentioned, amused, "Mia more or less banned me from the kitchen when we were Padawans."

Claus chuckled, "I think I heard someone set a fire in your apartment at the Temple," He mentioned, "Was it you or Obi-wan."

"Oh, it was definitely Obi-wan," Anakin stated.

Claus gave him a slight smirk, wondering if he should believe him. He poured a good amount of pancake batter onto the pan, watched as it slowly heated up and began to form small bubbles. Suddenly Luke and Leia started arguing over some sort of game and Anakin left the kitchen to sort it out.

"Claus is making pancakes," Anakin mentioned to get their mind off the argument, "Maybe if you behave we'll give you some."

There was a long pause before Leia spoke up, "We'll be good," She promised slowly.

"Good," Anakin decided.

Claus serve Luke and Leia two pancakes each before starting Anakin's breakfast.

"Aren't you going to have any?" Anakin inquired as he noticed the pancake batter was almost completely used up.

"I already had breakfast," Claus mentioned. "So I take it Mia does most of the cooking?"

"Well, she actually enjoys it most of the time and she's the only one of us who can make something without burning it," Anakin explained, "So she prefers to be the only one in the kitchen."

Claus sat with a cup of coffee as everyone ate. Luke and Leia practically drowned their pancakes in syrup, making both adults worry they'd be more hyper than usual.

After breakfast both children decided they wanted to color and camped out at the coffee table with pads of paper and crayons. Anakin insisted on doing the dishes so, with nothing else to do, Claus walked into the living room.

He crouched down next to Leia, looking over her shoulder as she drew, "Is that Mia?" He asked her, pointing to the picture of a girl with waist length black hair.

Leia nodded without looking away from her drawing, "I like Mia," She murmured.

"I like her too," Claus agreed.

"She's very pretty," Leia added.

"She is," Claus agreed, smiling.

"I like her hair," Leia stated.

"I like it too," Claus agreed with a nod.

"I like her cooking," Luke spoke up.

Claus turned to the blond boy, "What does she cook for you?" He asked.

"Lots of good stuff," Luke murmured, "Tea and cookies and pancakes and soup and cake and pas'k'a."

Leia sighed, "I miss Mia," She murmured.

Claus frowned before he noticed Anakin standing in the doorway with a sad expression. He understood that feeling, that feeling of helplessness as someone you loved was taken from you. He'd known that feeling for the last twenty four years. His son and wife taken in death, his daughter separated from him by the Jedi Council. He hadn't even been allowed to take her on as his Padawan, even when her status as a Jedi was at risk and she was nearly sent to the Agricorps, rejected from the Order.

He understood Anakin in so many ways when little over a month ago he couldn't imagine a world where he might ever forgive Anakin for all he'd done.

July 27th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia sighed as she sat on her brother's bed, staring out the window. They were in hyperspace again, heading for the capital the big celebration—a word her brother used when describing the day. She didn't see it that way and she knew Anakin sure as hell didn't. Which made her wonder how he was doing right now. He had a lot of mixed feelings about that day. On one hand it was Luke and Leia's birthday. It was also the night of his biggest regrets and the anniversary of Padmé's death. Mia wished, more than anything, that she could be there for him this time.

The Emperor was throwing an extravagant gala on Coruscant in honor of the Empire's rising. She highly doubted he'd make an actual appearance among his guests apart from a speech made from afar.

She hadn't been back to Coruscant in the last five years and she was terrified the Emperor would somehow be able to sense her presence. She took a deep breath, maintaining the steady shield she'd been building the last few weeks. At first it was near impossible when the drugs she was sometimes on smothered her ability with the Force. It seemed this continued practice was helping her midichlorians build up a resistance to the medications without it impeding the effectiveness of the medication. The shield was getting stronger every day, hiding her Force presence.

Closing her eyes, she picked up the data tablet and turned it on. She resumed her search through the old files, looking for any case like hers. Hopefully she would find something in the old archives.

Then for a moment she saw it, the locked file, originally encoded by the Jedi Council. Sucking in a deep breath, she opened it, thankful for the override her brother had included in the data disk. Inside were hundreds of unusual cases. There were cases about Jedi infected with a rare virus, Jedi who had risky and unorthodox surgeries or were injured enough to fall into a coma. Anything the Jedi Council might want to keep a secret was there.

One case caught her eye. Opening it, she skimmed across the file. It was about fifty years old, a case involving paternity. A child had entered the order and during the routine blood test the child's DNA matched another Jedi. She didn't even know the gender of the child, patient numbers and names were redacted—of course. There was another case with siblings about six years apart. Both had entered the Order but they'd been kept separate as much as possible, they never even shared a mission. How many more cases were like this?

She gasped at another case. A Jedi had gotten pregnant and she'd been forced to choose between leaving the Jedi Order and putting her child up for adoption. Ultimately she left the Jedi Order and there was no further mention of her. It made her question everything the Jedi Council ever did. They kept her from her father, lied about her brother, to prevent her from forming any sort of attachment like they had everyone else. How could they be so cruel as to separate families?

A tear slipped past in her frustration as she realized Obi-wan had lied to her too. He'd lied about the investigation on her brother but she understood he probably only wanted protect her from the pain of loss. He'd been the one to tell her that her mother was dead, when she was only seven. All Obi-wan ever wanted to do was protect her, he never wanted to inflict any sort of pain on her. Maybe that was why he never told her about the brother everyone thought was dead.

Heaving a great sigh, Mia looked through more files for something relevant to her condition. Finally she found another case. Two Jedi Knights had gotten married and formed a bond in the Force. That in itself was unusual because a Force bond was something only permitted between Master and Padawan and even then it wasn't exactly mandatory so a lot of Masters opted out of it. It seemed the Council had no idea at all if the mission logs were accurate enough to go by, the two Jedi had been on several missions together because they worked well with one another.

The wife had been away on a mission in the far outer rim and it was during then that the husband and developed unusual symptoms, including both brain and midichlorian swelling. He spent the next four days in the medical ward, sedated and on anti-inflammatory. It was then that the Jedi Council found out about their marriage. The wife returned from the mission when she became too ill and they were reunited. Both made a full recovery but because of the marriage, they were both asked to leave the Order.

Mia smiled, relieved. There was a cure for this, it was just a matter of getting to Anakin and reuniting with him. She closed her eyes, hope washing over her.

The door opened and Micah stepped in, an eyebrow raised. "You're in better spirits than you were before," He pointed out. He was still dressed in his armor, his helmet in hand.

Mia closed the file and sat the data tablet down. "I found out a way to fix what's wrong with me," She answered simply.

His eyes widened with surprise, "What is it?" He asked, determined to do anything it took to get the cure.

"It's very complicated," Mia explained hesitantly, "The- the only way I can get it is if I leave."

"Leave here," Micah clarified, gesturing around them.

She nodded slowly, waiting for his reaction.

"I take it I can't come with?" He questioned, skeptically

"It's something I have to do, alone," Mia insisted, standing up, "I found two cases like mine. In one, the patient died because they couldn't get the cure in time. If this goes on it could kill me."

He nodded slowly, "I need to think about it," He told her quietly as he turned away and left.

Mia bit her lip anxiously, "Just please don't wait too long to think it over?" She requested so quietly she didn't think he heard her.

July 27th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

_**He stared across the room, shrouded in shadows, at her. She laid face down, her hands spread ahead of her like she was reaching for something just out of grasp. Her long hair was matted and left inky black as the pool of blood dried across the rough wood planks. A dark figure stood over her, the corners of his black cloak soaked up the blood, his red lightsaber the only light in the room. He gasped.**_

"_**You killed her," He whispered through the shock.**_

_**Darth Brutus glanced over his shoulder, his black mask glowing faintly with a red gleam. "No Skywalker, you killed her."**_

_**His words echoed against the walls of the room. The windows rattled, trembling against the baritone of his mechanical voice.**_

"_**That's a lie!" Anakin disputed, his voice cracking.**_

"_**It's your hands her blood covers," Darth Brutus said simply, "Not mine."**_

_**Anakin's eyes widened as he stared at his hands, dripping with her blood. He looked across the room at her and the lightsaber she'd reached for in a last ditch effort to protect herself.**_

"_**Why did you kill me?" Mia asked him, her voice broken.**_

_**She stood in front of him, her temple dark red, her black shirt singed and darkened in some places. Her eyes watered as she repeated the question.**_

"_**Why did you kill me?"**_

_**He couldn't breathe, lungs burning for oxygen. Ice ran through his veins as he tried to speak, tried to tell her he'd never hurt her. His eyes stung and his throat was closing, choking those words before they could reach his lips. He was frozen, every muscle locked down.**_

_**Her eyes turned accusative, her lips curling in a scowl. Lights flashed all around them, thunder following. She used to hate thunder.**_

_Why'd you kill me? Why'd you do it Anakin? How could you do this to us? Why Anakin? Why? Your fault, your fault! Why Anakin? Answer me! Why?!_

_**Her voice was twisted and distorted, like screams being stripped away by a tornado. Thunder ripped through the room. Lightning tore through the ceiling as a gusting wind pulled at him and she remained still. Mechanical laughter peeled through the air as a strike of lightning cracked across the floor boards, ripping them away. The wind pulled away tendrils of her ripped white dress, strained red. He could feel the heat of her stare sear through his skin, leaving scorch marks in her wake. The windows shattered, a shower of glass cutting through the air.**_

Anakin gasped, his fingers clutching the tangled sheets as he struggled to breathe, the air getting strangled in his throat by his panic. He stumbled out of bed, the tangled sheet wrapped around his ankle tripping him as he hit the floor. He could still hear her voice, broken and small.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Anakin whispered desperately, his fingers tangling through his hair as he closed his eyes, trying to force the images away.

"Please no," He whimpered, tears slipping down his cheeks.

_I'd never hurt you Mia, I'd never hurt you… Your fault, your fault…_

He curled up in a ball, his back forced against the side of the bed as he tried to forget the nightmare and push away the dark thoughts. She wasn't here to soothe them away, with soft whispers and kind words and careful touches. He felt like the room was spinning, plummeting in the air.

_It's all your fault, you weren't there to protect her. He took her because you couldn't save her. It's all your fault…_

He dropped his head between his knees, trying to breathe as his heart hammered.

_Why'd you drag her into a rebellion? Why'd you risk her safety over your own guilt? How could you do any of that to her? She's right, it's all your fault._

_I'd never hurt you Mia, I'd never hurt you… Your fault, your fault…_

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan knocked on the door to Anakin's room, wondering when he'd wake up. It's was past breakfast and the twins kept asking when their father would wake up. When he got no answer, Obi-wan frowned in worry and carefully opened the door and saw no sign of his former Padawan. Walking further in, he looked around before he noticed the corner of a sheet peeking out from behind the bed.

"Anakin?" Obi-wan called, approaching the other side of bed.

His eyes widened at the side of Anakin, curled up in a ball on the ground.

"Anakin?" He called, kneeling down beside his brother, gently shaking his shoulder "Anakin!"

When he showed no response or any sign of waking up, Obi-wan panicked and reached for his comm. link. He called the infirmary, sharing the urgent news.

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Claus rushed through the halls of the infirmary, weaving between nurses and other doctors. Their eyes followed him in confusion, wondering what the fuss was about. Claus hardly noticed, too worried to care. He found the right bed and pulled the curtain away. Obi-wan sat at the side of the bed as Anakin laid motionless on the bed. The monitor was beeping erratically as it recorded Anakin's unusual heart rate. His oxygen sats. were down low.

"What happened?" He asked Obi-wan, urgency filling his voice.

"I don't know," Obi-wan admitted, "I found him this morning on the floor, he wasn't moving. I don't know what's wrong."

Claus stepped towards the bed, he gripped the stethoscope draped across the back of his neck and listened to Anakin's heart. Turning on the pen light, he opened Anakin's eyes and moved the pen from left to right and back again, testing his pupil reflex.

"His pupils are responding, that's a relief," Claus muttered, "The tachycardia has me worried though."

Claus pressed the back of his hand to Anakin's forehead. He frowned deeply. Anakin was hot, very hot.

"He has a fever," Claus commented before reaching into the drawer on Anakin's left. Pulling out a thermometer, he pressed it to Anakin's temple.

"102 ͦ degrees, not good." He muttered. "I'm going to order scans immediately, I think the brain swelling might be making a second appearance. I'm also starting him on I.V. fluids."

Obi-wan nodded tiredly as Claus rushed out. With a sigh he turned to Anakin, wishing he knew how to fix this. This wasn't fixable though, and there was nothing he could do about it. Force knew how Mia was in all this.

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Breakfast sat on the table, cold before anyone could eat it. Micah didn't feel particularly hungry this morning, so he leaned against the counter with a cup of coffee in hand. He was dressed in his armor, the helmet sitting on the end of his bed in his bedroom as he ticked off the minutes before he'd have to leave and take a ship down to Coruscant. His sister hadn't woken yet, but he was skeptical she would before he left.

The door creaked open and Mia walked out of her bedroom, dressed in a thick black sweater and leggings as she tried not to shiver. She squinted, the bright lights making her migraine worsen.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her.

Mia frowned. She'd woken in a cold sweat, her temperature rising and dropping every few minutes. She hated being sick, fevers worst of all. She made a so-so motion with her hand, not in the mood to speak or sign. She walked around the couch, reaching for the data tablet on the end table. The room tilted and her stomach suddenly stabbed with pain as she stumbled forward. She pushed her hands out and caught herself on the table behind the couch, the room spinning as she felt cold ice sweep through her and sink into her bones. Her knees wobbled as she crashed to the floor, knocking the glass vase over as her head hit the floor hard. Everything went black and she could faintly hear someone call her name before her hearing left her too.

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

_His brain scans all came out normal… What do you mean they came out normal? … I mean there's absolutely no brain swelling, no clot, no bleed, no abnormality to explain this. His midichlorians are completely fine and his white blood cell count is barely raised despite the rising fever. I don't know if it's because of the bond or something else but his immune system is shutting down… Do you think he can hear us? … Probably, his EEG is showing normal electrical impulses, his brain is functioning normally… Except for the part where he won't wake up… This isn't a normal condition… What do you mean… I mean that apart from his fast heartbeat, the fever and his immune system's refusal to fight it, this isn't a physical condition. I've heard of a few cases like this. He's experiencing a mental-emotional crisis and to cope with the stress of it his body is temporarily shutting down like a reboot. This happens to Jedi when they experience some sort of conflict within themselves. It's very surprising he hasn't gone through this before… What do we do? … We can't do much, we can monitor his condition and we can try to fix the physical symptoms of this crisis… Has this really happened before? … It's very rare, why do you think the Council made such a big deal about meditation or sent Jedi on a 'meditation retreat' when they got too stressed?_

_What does meditation have to do with this? … Your body goes through a lot during meditation. Meditation reduces stress, insomnia, depression and pain. It increases your immune system and lowers high blood pressure as well as easing any physical tension. There have been studies that have proven it can even help with PTSD…_

_Anakin used to meditate every morning for the last two or three years but with all that's been going on he's been remiss in that… Understandably… How long do you think it'll be before his body completes this 'reboot'… It should only last for a day or two, most come out of it between the 24 and 36 hour mark… _

_Is he in pain? … Some distress but the EEG isn't picking up much pain… And the distress? … During this crisis many of his emotions, worries, fears and even locked memories are known to come to the surface, causing nightmares, visions, dreams of love ones they've lost…_

_Could Mia be going through this? … I have no idea…_

July 27th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia found herself sitting on a hill, the late autumn frost seeping through her thick coat. She felt footsteps approaching from behind but couldn't be bothered to turn around. She was too captivated by the gold swirls of light that slowly overtook the deep blues, chasing them across the sky. She couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed a sunrise this beautiful. A woman sat down next to her, dressed warmly. Her hair was hidden behind the head wrapping.

"_Why do you wear that?_" Mia asked the woman in sign language. "_It's not as though we're living on Ammi-seru anymore_."

"_I wear it as a respect to the gods_," She answered simply, her fingers flying gracefully. "_When I put this on, it's not a sign of oppression to me. It's a reminder of the person I am on the inside, placing my intelligence and my kindness to the surface_."

Mia sighed and looked up at the sky, "_Have you ever seen anything this beautiful?_"

"_I have, I've seen that sort of beauty in your eyes when you get that determined look of yours, I've heard your laugh, even if you haven't and I've seen your smile a thousand times over. I've seen the way you do anything you can to help people_," She spoke, "_Just like your father_."

Mia's eyebrows furrowed, "_My father?_"

She nodded, strands of light blond hair slipping out. "_He's waiting for us_," She mentioned.

"_Mama, what's his name?_" Mia asked her suddenly.

She smiled, "_You know his name sweetheart_," She reminded her daughter.

"_He was a Jedi, wasn't he?_" Mia inquired, desperate for more information.

The woman smiled, laughing gently. Even though she couldn't hear it, Mia knew there was something soft and warm behind it. "_He's still a Jedi, even if he no longer belongs to the Order, he will always be a Jedi_."

"_Why doesn't he belong to the Order now?_" Mia asked, eyebrows furrowed again.

"_He chose us, he chose you and your brother and me,_" She answered, "_And he hasn't regretted it for a single second_."

July 27th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

She smiled gently at him, her thick curls swaying in the breeze. Her brown eyes were so light, peaceful. Her long blue dress, light as the Naboo sky they stood under, revealed the creamy skin of her collar bones. He'd almost forgotten the color of her eyes, the way her shoulders relaxed the second she saw him.

"I miss you," He whispered.

"I know Ani," Padmé whispered back, "I missed you too."

"It's not the same without you," He admitted.

"You're right," She agreed, "But that doesn't mean it hasn't gotten better. You have Luke and Leia, and Obi-wan. You have Mia now, and your love for each other is just as pure and warm as our love was."

He looked down at the floor, unable to face her kind expression, "Are you mad?"

Padmé laughed, shaking her head, "You know I'd never want you to be unhappy. I may not like that we can't be together, but I'm happy she could be there for you when I couldn't."

"I'm so afraid of losing her, like I lost you," Anakin whispered.

"You won't lose her," Padmé assured him, "But you won't save her clinging onto her like you did me."

He looked at her, confusion spreading. "What do you mean?"

"Anakin, you need more than anything to let go, to let her go and trust that she will come back to you," Padmé explained. "You need to have faith in her and let her go."

"I can't," Anakin muttered, closing his eyes.

"Yes you can, because I have faith in you! I have faith that you can make the right decision and save the both of you," Padmé insisted.

He stared at her, his deep blue eyes piercing through every part of her. "What will happen if I don't?" He asked, needing to know.

"Look at where you are!" She told him urgently, "Anakin, you're stuck here in a dream you can't get out. You're sick and so is she, you're dying. The longer you cling onto her the worse you'll both get. If you can't let go she'll die, and so will you."

Anakin closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and sat down, one leg folded over the other. He felt her leave, knowing she had no choice. He took in another breath through his nose and filling his lungs with air before he released his breath. He needed, more than anything, to think this through.

July 27th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

The second she opened her eyes she gasped in shock. The halls of the Jedi Order were in flames and the smoke was filling her lungs. There were screams echoing everywhere and she didn't know what to do. What was she supposed to do? Her entire body was throbbing in agony as she felt so many of her brother and sister Jedi die. Then she heard it, crying. Turning, she followed the sound until she found herself in the wing of the Temple she'd once known better than anything. This was where the younglings slept and went to class. She followed the crying until she found a room of bunks. Children crowded together in fear.

"Master Rosslyn?" One of them spoke, a little girl with her hair in braids.

"Hey, it's going to be alright, I'm going to get you out of here," She assured them.

Her mind was spinning, how did she get them out to safety? If it really was Anakin leading this attack, he'd be more than able to sense their collective Force presence. She looked out into the hall, wondering how many there were.

"How many are there of you here?" She asked them, "Did you round up everyone you could?"

"There are some older kids the next floor down but this is everyone," A boy, barely seven, answered.

"Okay, we're going to go down there and then we're going to go down to the detention level, we'll escape that way," She told them, "Now, I need you all to be very brave and stick together, we need to get down there together."

They nodded slowly. "Now, all of you follow me down to the lifts."

The two lifts in the youngling ward were thankfully a lot bigger than those around the rest of the Temple because this was an older part of the Temple. She divided their group in two and loaded them into the lifts, possibly past the actual capacity, and sent them all down. The next floor down was louder, full of younglings between ages eight and twelve as they tried to organize everyone. Their attention collectively snapped towards the direction of the lifts as they opened. Everyone's eyes widened in both surprise and relief.

"Mia?" Someone shouted.

Her eyes zeroed in on Shesh, "Shesh!" She called, relieved to see him.

"We need to hurry if we're going to get everyone out of here," He told her as he rushed towards her.

"I have an idea on that," She told him, "The detention levels have a serum that suppresses someone's Force presence, we can hide them that way and get them out of here."

"Isn't that risky?" Shesh questioned, his mousy brown hair falling into his eyes.

"It's there only hope to keep them from being detected," Mia insisted.

He nodded slowly, "Okay, let's do it," He agreed.

They had to send kids down in waves, Shesh going down with the youngest of the children while Mia sent down more down to the detention levels. To her great relief, the clones hadn't made their way in this direction, so they still had time. When she could load the rest of the children into one elevator, she stepped in and sent them down.

The second the doors of the lift opened, she looked around nervously. The younglings were crowded against the wall as Shesh tried to keep them calm.

"Where would the serum be?" He asked her.

"They keep it locked up in the office," Mia explained as she jumped over a desk and moved towards the door.

"I tried that door, it's locked," Shesh told her, "And how are you going to get the serum if it's locked up anyway?"

Mia pulled her lock-picking kit from the pocket of her cloak. Pulling out the right tools, she slid them through the lock and tested the tumbles.

"You apparently know how to pick locks," Shesh commented, surprised.

"No offense Shesh, but could you make yourself useful and disable the lifts so they can't get down here?" Mia requested.

She smiled as the lock clicked and she opened the door. Behind the office was the infirmary where all prisoners went when they were injured. Jedi weren't known for keeping prisoners so for the most part it went unused except for the rotational training Padawans went through to learn the proper procedure for detaining criminals. Looking through the glass, she identified the right serum and went to work at picking the lock. Grabbing several bottles, she set them down on a tray and grabbed a pack of unused surgical needles and alcohol wipes. She returned to the hall as Shesh finished shutting the elevator down.

Crouching down in front of the younglings, she smiling reassuringly, "There's a way we can hide you from the clones and keep anyone from knowing you're okay. If we give you this serum nobody will be able to sense your force presence so they won't be able to find you."

"How are you going to give it to us?" One of the older younglings asked.

"We'll need to inject you with it in the arm, like a shot," Mia answered simply.

"Will it hurt?" One of the girls whimpered.

"Only for a few seconds and then you won't hardly feel it," She promised. "Think you can be brave enough for that?"

There were hesitant nods. "Shesh, grab me a trashcan," She ordered as she started peeling away the wrapping around the sterilized needle. "Okay, I want all of you to line up."

Pushing the needle through the seal, she drew out the correct dosage for children—as much as she hated the knowledge of how they knew the right dosage—and motioned for the first boy in line to walk up to her. Rolling up the loose sleeves of his light brown tunic, she used a fresh alcohol wipe to sanitize the skin of his arm. He winced as she gently pushed the needle into his upper arm, just below his shoulder.

"Didn't hurt too much, did it?" She asked him.

He shook his head and motioned for the little girl behind him to go next. Her eyes watered as Mia carefully rolled her sleeve up.

"Don't even think about it," The first boy told her, "Think about your birthday and cake. What's your favorite type of cake?"

"Chocolate," She answered slowly, barely noticing the prick as the needle pressed through her skin.

"Okay, you're done," Mia told her.

One by one she injected them with the serum before sending Shesh to go find the transport speeders at the end of the detention center. They quickly loaded children into the two available speeders, more than thankful to know they could get everyone to safety. Shesh stopped suddenly, eyes wide.

"What is it?" Mia asked.

"I just realized, the archives, the archives have all the existing data on the Jedi, including the younglings," He told her slowly, almost in shock. "Even if we get away, they'll still have all the names and identities of every Jedi, including the younglings."

Mia made a frustrated groan as she looked around the outer platform and along the skyline. All around them were clone ships delivering more and more reinforcements to the Temple.

"Take them, get them off planet and find them a safe place far away from here," She ordered, "I'll destroy the archives."

"Mia you can't, that'd be suicide," Shesh argued, his hand gripped around her wrist urgently.

"Shesh, nothing is more important than getting them to safety, I'll be alright," She assured him.

He shook his head, "I can't drive two speeders at once, I need you to drive the other."

"I can fly it," A youngling spoke up.

He stepped out from the crowd, he was probably one of the oldest among them.

"You're not even old enough to drive," Mia pointed out.

"I can do it, I used to nick Master Ryo's keys at night and practice," He insisted, "I can drive them."

Shesh stared at Mia, silently arguing that she couldn't possibly think this was a good idea. She sighed, "This honestly would not be the first time a youngling has driven underage here," She stated before handing the keys to the boy, "Drive carefully, it's really important to get everyone to safety."

He nodded and looked to Shesh, "I'll follow you."

Shesh frowned before looking at Mia, his hazel eyes lost and without hope. "Mia," He started, knowing he might never see her ever again, that she might die.

"Where do I need to go?" She asked him, not about to let him talk her out of it.

He sighed, "The archive with all the current information is on the fourteenth floor, it has all the information of all living Jedi," Shesh explained, "It's on a long hall in the dead center of the Temple, just below the Library."

"Mia, we can get them to safety first and come back," Shesh suggested.

"Every minute they tear through here is a minute we're losing. We can't give them the chance to copy the archives somehow," Mia argued quietly, "Think about it, it wouldn't just save them, it could save every Jedi out there that slips through the cracks. They wouldn't know who to look for."

"I have to do it," She decided, "Go, I'll be fine."

Nodding, Shesh got in the speeder and started it up. In seconds they were gone, driving into the night. Turning, Mia ran back through the halls of the detention center. She went up the back stairwells, weaving through a crowd of Jedi as they tried to run. She couldn't count how many clones she fought before she found herself running down the hall of the archives. The whole wing of the Temple was up in flames, smoke filling the air and hazing her vision. Opening the door to the archive database, she looked along the line of the machines. She didn't have much time so, igniting her blue lightsaber, she sliced her lightsaber through every one. They were damaged enough that she didn't think they'd be able to retrieve any date but she wanted more than anything to be sure. Looking outside the room, she caught sight of the fire climbing up the curtains. Stepping into the hall, she reached out with the Force and ripped the curtain rod from the wall. With a wave of her hand, she moved it into the archive room. The flames instantly spread, climbing up the sides of the machines. Heaving a deep breath, she coughed harshly, the smoke filling her lungs making it impossible to breathe. Turning around, she looked for any sign of what to do next. Did she find others or did she make a run for it and catch up with Shesh?

She heard blaster fire echoing down the hall she'd originally come from. Eyes widening, she turned to make a run for it before clones started storming from the other side of the hall. Panicking, she went the other way before she heard the loud crack. Something crashed on top of her, pinning her to the ground. Her vision began to fade as she struggled to breathe. She was so tired, she felt too tired to move. Giving in, she rested her head on the floor, closing her eyes.

Hot fingers brushed against the side of her neck. She cracked her eyes open, only seeing leather boots and a black cloak.

"She's dead," Someone shouted, their voice eerily familiar, "Move on."

Exhaling, she closed her eyes again, wishing her chest didn't hurt so much.

The second she opened them again, she realized she was being carried, no longer pinned down by the beam. She could feel the heavy rise and fall of his chest as he carried her down the hall at a quick pace. She blacked out again, unable to hold on anymore.

July 27th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

The wind brushed across his skin as he walked through the forest on the familiar path, passing trees and bushes he knew by heart. He reached the clearing between the trees, the meadow within sight. The first thing he noticed was her long black hair and the way the sun caught it just right, letting the black tones shine. She stood in a white dress, the hem brushing just over her knees. Her pale skin glowed in the sunlight. Mia turned around with a wide smile on her face, her cheeks glowing. He rushed to her, pulling her into a tight hug as he spun her around. He enjoyed the way she giggled with delight. He pulled away.

He noticed the faint crinkles at the corners of her eyes that had just began to show. Laugh lines, she laughed so much sometimes, her eyes crinkling softly with delight. Her grey eyes shined in the light like silver, gold flecks freckling around her pupils.

"I love you," Anakin whispered.

She smiled and kissed him gently before she pulled away just long enough to softly murmur, "I love you too."

Mia pulled him in and kissed him again as her fingers ran through the soft waves of his hair. She was absolutely perfect in his eyes. His hand gently gripped her right hand just before he noticed the way her fingers moved gracefully against his skin as he finger signed.

"_I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U_,"

"I'll love you forever," He promised her.

"I know you will, I know you do," Mia told him, her fingers brushing along his arm before they held his metal hand with a squeeze powerful enough to almost think his hand was flesh and blood again. "I love every piece of you, every moment with you."

"I'll find you," He promised her.

"We'll find each other again, we always do."

"It's all my fault," He whispered.

She pulled away, sadness filling her eyes, "Why do you think it's your fault?"

"I dragged you into the Rebellion, I'm the reason you were ever in his path in the first place," He told her, his fingers latching around her arms urgently as he kept her close, "If we'd just stayed on Verron Darth Brutus would never have found you."

"Anakin, you didn't drag me into the Rebellion, I wanted to join, I wanted to fight the Empire," She insisted, passion putting a fire in her eyes, "None of this was your fault."

She breathed a sigh, "You couldn't have stopped Darth Brutus from finding me," Mia murmured in his ear. "It would have happened eventually."

"I don't believe that," Anakin argued.

"I do," She whispered. She stood on her toes, pushing herself up as her arms wound around him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing her closer. "It was always going to happen, you couldn't have prevented it."

"How can you be so sure?" He asked her.

"I'll tell you about it one day," She whispered, her chin resting on his shoulder. "But right now I just want to enjoy this moment."

He relaxed for a moment. "How long do we have?" Anakin inquired, "Here, together, I mean."

She laughed gently, "Until you can make a decision."

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

It was past midnight and Obi-wan had gone with the twins to get some sleep. They'd been particularly crabby about being denied the chance to see their dad. Neither Claus nor Obi-wan thought it was a good idea for them to see Anakin in his current condition.

Claus sighed, staring at the monitors for a long moment. They'd flushed Anakin with I.V. fluids and placed cold pads on his chest, arms, and legs to try and break his fever. It was impossible to know when Anakin had entered this state but it was very possible they were reaching the twenty-four hour mark. He seemed to be in a lot less distress than he had been upon arrival into the infirmary. Claus wondered for a moment what Anakin had seen in this restless state, what worries or emotions had been brought to the surface. It wasn't hard to imagine, given all that he and Mia were going through, it had probably brought up a lot of fear.

Sitting down in the chair by his bed, Claus yawned tiredly. At least he wasn't technically still in the middle of his shift, even though he chose to remain here and keep tabs on Anakin's condition. He wasn't sure at which point he actually began to take a liking to Anakin, instead of caring vicariously through him because his condition pertained to his daughter. It seemed very selfish on his part now.

He was changing that, accepting Anakin as he had before, a friend and fellow Jedi.

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Darth Brutus shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously. In the next room his sister was lying motionless on her bed, her skin pale and hot as beads of sweat formed along her forehead. Wires were attached to her chest as machines monitored her fast heart rate. The doctor was clueless as to what was really wrong and the only person who seemed to have any idea what to do was Mia. He didn't know what to do anymore and he was running out of options. What would he do if he lost her? She was all he had left in this universe.

He sat on the couch, struggling with his emotions. The darkness within him always forced Mia away from him, made her wary to trust him. It made him wonder how things would be if that darkness disappeared. She wouldn't want him to cave back into the darkness that had been wrapped around his heart for so long.

He hadn't felt this helpless since he was a child, locked up and ignored until it was time to train and fight.

What would it take for her to live, to fight whatever this was and win? He'd give anything just to avoid losing her for good. If she was right and there was a cure, he would do whatever it took to get her to it.

Turning back, he left his quarters, mentioning only briefly to the doctor that he needed to arrange a few things and that he'd be back soon.

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia twisted around, ignoring the stabbing pain in her chest. Her hand wrapped around her rib cage gently, only half surprised to find she had what she suspected was a cracked rib. Standing slowly, she reached for her lightsaber and was relieved to know it was still by her side. Opening the door, she walked through the dark halls. Her eyes widened with a sense of déjà vu.

"Where am I?" Mia whispered, looking along the eerily familiar halls.

"Why, you're right where I want you," He spoke, his voice crackling like lightning, sinister.

She stared at him, eyes wide as something she wasn't used to swept through her like a hurricane. Fear.

Her hand twitched for her lightsaber. He laughed in amusement at her, "You won't be needing that my dear, not on me at least," Darth Sidious told her before he vanished like a puff of smoke.

"You'll pay for what you've done," Micah spoke up behind her, his voice cold.

She turned to him, surprised to see him dressed like a Jedi. "Micah, what are you talking about?" Mia questioned in confusion.

"Don't call me that!" He snarled, "You're not my sister, not anymore!"

"He's right about that," Anakin agreed, stepping out from under the shadows, his expression dark. "The dark side killed her ages ago."

"Micah, I know she used to be your sister, but you can't let that cloud your judgement," Obi-wan instructed, glancing at her brother reassuringly, "She must be stopped if we're to overthrow the Empire."

Mia took a step back, "What are you talking about?!" She shouted, terrified, "I hate the Empire just as much as you guys, I've wanted nothing more than to stop it since the day it started!"

"What, and give up all the power you've consumed?" Anakin questioned.

"Ignore the blood on your hands?" Micah asked her, "You've killed so many Jedi, and for what?"

"To play your role of the puppet with Darth Sidious pulling at your strings?" Obi-wan continued, reaching for his lightsaber.

Simultaneously they ignited their lightsabers, aiming them at her. Micah lunged for her, barely giving her a second to react. Gripping her lightsaber, she blocked his attack. She gasped for air when she saw the red light hanging over her. He pulled away and struck at her with a downward cut, the force of it knocking her to the ground as she blocked him again. She kicked him in the knee, just hard enough to distract him as she stumbled back onto her feet.

"Guys, stop!" She begged, "What are you doing?"

"Funny, I've never heard of Sith begging," Obi-wan quipped, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not a Sith!" Mia cried out, backing away.

They approached her, blue lightsabers raised. Extinguishing her red lightsaber, she tossed it away in disgust and ran. Down the halls, her feet pounding against the metal floor as she ran for her life. Mia could feel them catching up with her. Spotting a stairwell, she ran up as quickly as she could until she reached the roof.

The wind whipped around her, pulling at her black cloak. Swallowing hard, she walked towards the edge. She had to be over a hundred stories up!

And there was no escape.

Turning, she stared at what she thought was her reflection. The girl before her snarled, her yellow eyes overpowering her every feature.

"Who are you?" Mia questioned, every instinct in her body telling her to run.

"I'm you," She answered darkly, circling around her "I'm the you that gave into the dark side. I was there as the darkness ate at your soul until there was nothing left. I fed on your self-hatred, the loathing you went to bed with every night. I stripped you bare of every emotion, tarnished you with darkness until your loved ones could no longer stand the sight of you."

"You turned them against me?" Mia whispered, shocked.

The other woman laughed darkly, her eyes glinting in the sunlight. "No, you turned them against you, every time you gave into me."

The dark version of herself lunged at Mia, tackling her to the ground. Her legs pinned Mia's arms to her sides as a punch was delivered to her cheek.

"Poor Mia, poor lost little Mia, taken away by the Sith all while her precious brother was trained by Jedi, cared about by a family you'll never know. Poor lost little girl, locked up in darkness, believing her entire family was dead."

She taunted her with each punch, "They'll all wonder how you, the once pure and innocent little girl, could turn into a monster," The Sith taunted her, "Not even your own twin brother trusts you."

"Stop it!" Mia begged just before a hard back-handed slap snapped her head to the right.

"Why, can't take the truth?" Her voice dripped with condescension, mocking her.

She knelt down, her lips pressed against Mia's ear as she whispered: "How did it feel?"

"How did it feel to watch as, one by one, they turned on you?"

Mia hooked her leg around the Sith's neck, forcing her back as she stumbled to her feet.

Was this how Micah felt? All this life, was this how he felt?

Her darker self sent her back with a kick, forcing her closer to the edge. "Look at you now, pathetic," She snarled, "Too dark to be a Jedi, too weak to be a Sith."

"Shut up!" Mia shouted, "You're wrong!"

"You never forgave them, did you? You never forgave them for leaving you behind, never coming back for you while you withered away in the shadows!" The Sith snarled with a cruel smirk before sending a painful blow to Mia's chest, knocking the breath out of her lungs as her rib cracked again. "Why would you, they'll never forgive you for all the lives you've taken!"

"You're wrong, the world isn't as black and white as you think. Darkness isn't permanent and lightness isn't weak," Mia gave in slowly, breathing a sigh of relief as a wave of calm overtook her, "You can't define yourself that way, balance within the force is ever changing. We can change in seconds, deciding our own fate when we decide who we are without the title of Sith or Jedi."

The dark version of herself pressed her hands to Mia's chest, pushing her over the edge.

Mia closed her eyes as she plummeted towards the ground, accepting her fate. The air brushed her cheeks and lifted her hair up, chasing away any fear, any darkness she had hiding in her soul. The impact of the ground rattled through her, shattering every piece of her as she looked up into the sky, unable to feel any pain.

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

The grass brushed against his skin, prickling him through his clothes. The sun was setting, gold and blue hues taking over the sky. Mia had her head rested against his arm, her breathing calm and steady. Rolling over, Anakin wound his fingers through her hair. His thumb brushed against her cheek. She hummed, letting out a sigh on content.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" She guessed, her eyes closed.

"Yeah," He told her, his forehead pressed against hers.

"You've made your decision then?" Mia asked him, her voice quiet and tired.

He nodded, closing his eyes. "I've accepted it," He whispered, "I'm ready."

She smiled, he could feel her smile even when he could not see it. "I love you," She reminded him softly.

"I love you too," Anakin murmured, "More than anything."

He kissed her gently, holding onto every second left he had with her before she and the meadow they called sanctuary drifted away.

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Claus awoke with a start the second he noticed Anakin was no longer in his bed where he was supposed to be. The wires that had monitored his heart rested on the bed, unattached. The heart monitor was turned off and the blankets were strewn over the bed rail and across the floor. Standing suddenly, he rushed out. Nurses gave him a funny look as he ran past them, looking for Anakin. Somehow he knew just where to go.

The trees were scattered haphazardly, moss creeping up their sides. The sun had begun to rise and its light drifted through the leaves. Anakin sat on a dry patch of grass, his back to Claus as he sat with one leg folded over the other.

"I thought you'd be the first to find me," Anakin spoke up, not moving.

"You shouldn't have left, not after all your body just went through," Claus scolded him.

Anakin sighed, "I had to," He whispered, "I needed to be alone for what I'm doing."

Claus approached him slowly, "And what's that exactly?" He inquired, sitting down next to Anakin.

"I'm going to sever the bond," He answered simply.

Claus sucked in a deep breath, shocked. "You were so against it before," He murmured, "What changed?"

"I'm ready now," He murmured, eyes closed, "I'm finally ready to accept it."

Nodding, Claus stood up, "I'll give you some time then," He decided as he turned and walked back to the mess hall, "Though I expect you to come straight back to the infirmary for a full check-up when you're done."

Breathing in a deep sigh, Anakin closed his eyes and relaxed every muscle in his body. He could feel the Force surrounding him, a comforting and familiar presence. Reaching towards the bond he shared with Mia, he felt the warmth of her love for him one last time. He could accept this, because he was giving them both their best chance and this was the right decision for them both. He knew she'd be hurt, confused, worried when the bond broke but eventually she'd understand. He was doing the one thing he never could and as the sun rose around him, catching every particle within the air in its wake, he touched the first stand of the bond. The pain of cutting it off was immense but he continued on, cutting the next thread that connected them together. Every moment he reassured himself that what he was doing was the right decision. He could feel her pain and her confusion as she reached towards him, grasping onto what was left of the bond, trying to keep him from cutting any more ties between them. A loud shout of pain broke through him as he severed the last thread and broke the bond completely. Suddenly the pain stopped and he felt a numb emptiness he hadn't felt in years. A moment later, a sense of calm swept through him, accepting.

* * *

If it matters, the reason Mia's visions/dreams/nightmares got progressively worse while Anakin's got progressively worse is because while Anakin's emotions, fears and worries are often at the forefront is because Anakin is one to wear his heart on his sleeve. Mia's fears and worries lie deeper inside her so as they reached the end, the truth came about.

Anyway, please review and tell me what you thought


	25. Bringing with Them Change

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia woke up screaming as her head shattered with pain, tearing through her body in waves. She thrashed in the bed, clutching her head in agony. Hands were suddenly gripping her, trying to hold her still. She kicked out wildly, pushing them away as tears slipped down her cheeks. Then suddenly the pain was gone in an instant, leaving her breathless. She absolutely hated that it had disappeared so quickly, like her world hadn't just crumbled down. She sobbed, her chest heaving as she tried to reach out, find Anakin desperately. Her heart raced in panic.

"No, no, no, no, no," She cried, the heels of her hands pressed to her eyes.

She sucked in a deep breath, gasping as it caught in her throat.

"Mia, Mia can you hear me?!" Her brother shouted, his hand gripped tightly around her arm.

"Just leave me alone," She begged, sobbing.

"Mia," Micah started, trying to reason with her, get some kind of grasp on what had just happened.

"Leave. Me. Now." She growled out, refusing to look at him.

With that, he left, leaving her to cry in peace.

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Anakin stumbled forward, catching himself on a tree last minute. He felt dizzy and sick and all sorts of wrong. He hadn't anticipated this. His stomach turned, threatening to heave as he tried to make his way back to the dining hall. He stumbled forward again, rushing towards the next tree before he could hit the ground. His breathing was heavy and pained as his chest tightened.

"Woah, okay," Claus spoke, catching him as Anakin's knees gave in. "Come on, we're going back to the infirmary."

Anakin didn't even bother to protest, feeling like he was seconds from passing out. "I feel like shit," He mumbled.

"Well I could have told you that," Claus muttered, taking on most of Anakin's weight as he led the younger Jedi towards the mess hall.

"I didn't expect this," He mumbled.

Claus huffed, "Yeah, well given how strongly the two of you were connected, it's no wonder."

Slowly, they made it back to the mess hall and, eventually, the infirmary.

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Micah stared across the living room and at the open doors. He struggled to listen to the doctor as his catatonic sister laid on the bed with her back turned towards him. He wondered if her distress had been a result of her coma-like condition the past twenty-four hours or something she'd dreamt in that time. He of all people should know what it felt like to have one's subconscious attack them in their sleep. It wasn't as though she was immune to nightmares. She'd stopped crying almost an hour ago, motionless on the bed. She didn't even look like she was breathing which was worrying him all the more.

"My personal recommendation is to keep her under close observation," Doctor Rune Admis stated, glancing her way. "If these violent attacks of panic continue, you might want to consider sedating her."

Micah turned his gaze to the doctor, his irises overtaken by yellow, "You might want to consider leaving," He warned the doctor, his voice unnaturally calm.

Swallowing nervously, Doctor Admis nodded and quickly left without another word.

With a heaving sigh, Micah stepped towards his room.

"Micah," Mia called for him, her voice barely above a whisper.

Turning, he approached her room slowly, hesitant. She kept her back to him as he walked in. Picking up the chair, he moved it so it was in front of her and sat down. Her watery grey eyes glanced along his features thoughtfully. It seemed she didn't have anything to say to him, or if she did, she didn't know how to put it into words.

"How do you feel?" He asked, curious.

Mia shrugged, "I don't know," She admitted quietly, her voice quivering. "I don't know, something's just wrong."

"What's wrong?" Micah asked her, whispering.

Wiping a few tears away, Mia sniffled. "Someone's hurt," She whispered, "Someone in my family, something's wrong with them, I can just feel it."

He nodded slowly, guessing it had to do with Skywalker and his children. He opened his mouth, about to ask what she needed, what she wanted to do. Mia shook her head.

"That's not what I want to talk about," She whispered, "Not right now anyway."

Nodding again, Micah sat back and gave her the time to piece together what she wanted to say. He watched as her bottom lip quivered, "I'm sorry," She breathed out.

"What are you sorry about?" He asked her, confused. What did she have to be sorry about?

Pushing herself up with her right arm, she sat up. Her dark grey eyes met his. "I'm sorry for not trusting you, for not understanding you," She whispered. "I never fully realized how you felt."

"I don't understand," Micah interrupted, not seeing how that was a reason to apologize to him.

Mia looked down for a moment and took his hand in hers. She didn't see the way his eyes shut nervously at the unexpected contact. He was very unfamiliar to wanted, gentle physical contact.

"I had a dream, about what would have happened if I'd been taken instead of you, what would have happened if you became a Jedi instead," Mia whispered.

Micah bit his lip, trying not to bark out how he'd never want to be a Jedi. He knew it wouldn't be a comment she'd appreciate and he didn't knew if he still felt that way now.

"I saw myself, dark and angry and hateful, but I felt alone and terrified somehow. I felt abandoned and lost," Mia went on.

His expression softened somewhat, remembering when he was so much younger, feeling like that. There was nobody in the universe to care about him, to care what happened to him. If he was hurt, if he cried, nobody showed him kindness, nobody swept his tears away. It made him wonder what Mia had growing up, people all around her that cared. Did she ever go to bed at night, tears running down her cheeks, feeling all alone?

"You went your whole life thinking nobody cared," Mia whispered.

Her grey eyes met his, "I care, I really, truly care about you," She told him honestly, "You mean so much to me."

He smiled, a faint little upward twitch at the corners of his mouth.

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan frowned as Claus examined Anakin. He wasn't exactly thrilled that his former Padawan had wandered off on his own without a word. They'd mentioned something about the bond but neither Jedi had completely filled him in. Luke and Leia crowded around the hospital bed, fawning over their dad, thrilled to see him again. He hadn't let them visit during Anakin's comatose state.

"Well, you're surprisingly stable, there's no midichlorian swelling. Your brain scans aren't showing any sort of tissue damage. There's no permanent damage from what I can see." Claus finally concluded.

"Well that's good to know," Anakin commented with a subtle undertone of sarcasm. Secretly he was extremely grateful for the news but he still had an uneasy feeling as he wondered how Mia had taken the bond being severed.

Claus turned to him with a raised eyebrow, "I still want to get another brain scan later this week just to be sure," He added.

Luke and Leia both stared up at Claus with confused expressions, too young to completely understand.

"So what exactly happened?" Obi-wan questioned, his patience tested as he waited for the news.

"I finally cut the bond between Mia and I," Anakin answered slowly.

Obi-wan's eyebrows went up in surprise.

"I decided that I needed to trust that she'd make her way back," Anakin explained, "And the only way to give her that chance was to cut the bond."

Obi-wan stood still, his jaw hanging a little lower in shock. Anakin had never been good with attachment, even worse with letting go. He never thought Anakin would be able to overcome it. Yet, here he was, proving Obi-wan wrong.

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Micah paced along length of his room, mind whirling with thoughts, all of them centered around Mia. It didn't matter if she'd survived everything this far, he wasn't sure how long she could physically last if she didn't get the cure. Whatever had happened in the last day or so, it was serious and who knew what would happen if it happened again. Sighing, he walked outside into the living room. She sat on the couch with a cup of tea in hand, her eyes distance and glazed over, looking like she might cry. Sitting on the coffee table in front of her, he watched her carefully.

"What do you need to get this cure?" He asked her.

Her eyes squinted for a moment, eyebrows knitting together in surprise. "I need ship and an unregistered comm-link," She answered.

"Will you need money?" He asked her.

Mia shrugged, "Not much, just enough for a few days," She murmured.

She stared down at the lukewarm tea in her hands, not having anything else to say.

Nodding, Micah sighed. "I'm letting you leave as soon as you're cleared to travel, I'll give you a ship and a comm-link," He told her.

Mia stared at him for a long moment, shocked. "Why?" She questioned.

"I don't know what's wrong with you, but if you can get a cure to stop it, then that's what you need to do," He stated simply.

A long silence passed of them just staring at each other. "And how do you know I'll come back?" Mia asked finally.

Micah sighed, looking down at the floor. "I know you won't," He murmured, "And as much as I want you to stay, I know you need to return to your family."

Nodding, Mia stood up. "I guess I better start packing," She murmured.

Micah watched her retreat to her room. "And Mia, one more thing."

Hesitantly, she turned to face him.

"Burn the picture of Skywalker, don't ever let anyone see it. If they even think you know where to find him, you'll never make it." He told her, almost making it an order.

"How," She started, eyes wide, not sure how to finish that sentence.

"It doesn't matter, burn it," Micah insisted, eyes hard.

Nodding, face pale, Mia retreated back to her room. Sighing heavily, Micah turned back to his room, exhausted.

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Anakin sat on the edge of the hospital bed, staring at the wall. He was already beginning to regret breaking the bond. He couldn't feel that familiar little spot in the back of his mind, the place where her emotions would gently drift, reminding him she was there. Now it was empty and he couldn't feel her in the universe. What if something happened to her now and he never felt it. That was terrifying. He had no idea if she'd ever escape or if he'd ever find her again. What happened to her the seconds after he cut the bond? Had she cried? Did she think he was dead?

It was certainly possible. Before today, he'd always known he'd rather die than let her go. She probably knew that as well as he did. He had no idea what she'd do if something happened to him.

Obi-wan stepped into the room with a wary expression, "You don't look happy," He mentioned.

"I'm starting to have second thoughts," Anakin muttered, staring down at the floor, "It feels weird, wrong actually, to not know for a fact that she's there, to not be able to sense her."

"You can't sense her at all?" Obi-wan clarified, concerned.

Anakin shook his head, "Not like I used to, but not like you're thinking," He stated. "I don't feel her emotions or a rough idea of where she is but I do know she's out there."

"I think as soon as I get out of here, I need to make a plan to try and find her," Anakin murmured.

"How?" Obi-wan inquired, doubtful.

Anakin shrugged, deciding to not let onto the fact he already had an idea—using himself as bait somehow.

July 28th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia stared at her packed duffle bag—provided by her brother—with hesitancy. She crossed her arms and took a deep breath. She was very eager to leave and very nervous about leaving all at the same time. It meant she'd see Anakin and the twins and Obi-wan again. It also meant she wouldn't see her brother again for quite some time. She might not see him for years. She wouldn't even get to see his face because the world knew him as a faceless entity behind a mask. She longed for a photo to take with her, to keep with her like she had for Anakin, but she was certain he wouldn't want her to have that with her. Ever.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the photo of Anakin and the twins. Her hand shook nervously.

She suddenly felt his presence behind her. "Would you like a lighter?" He offered.

Mia turned around, unsurprised to see him dressed into his armor. "You have a lighter?" She asked him with a wry smile, amused. "I thought you didn't smoke death sticks."

He scoffed. "It's not for that," He told her. "I keep it with me on missions for survival."

Nodding, Mia shrugged. "I guess."

Turning, he walked out only to return a moments later with a pack of matches. "I lied," He added, almost smirking.

Rolling her eyes, Mia pulled out a match. Her fingers shook again.

In seconds, he crossed the room and gently gripped her wrist, steadying her hand. "You need to do this." He stated.

"I know," She whispered.

Sucking in a deep breath, she lit the match. Micah carried in a metal trash can and held it out for her. Holding the match to the photo, Mia let it burn. Her eyes watered as she dropped it into the trash can. It felt irrational, crying over a photo when she would see them in a day, two at the most. Looking away, she blinked the tears away.

Reaching into his cloak, he pulled out a large parcel.

"Inside is two bank cards, the blue one is to a private account I can't track. The second one has considerably less money. If you ever need my help, just use it and I'll have your location and I'll depart immediately." He instructed her. "There is an Imperial ship waiting in my personal hanger, take it and sell it in exchange for an unmarked ship. Buy an unregistered comm-link with your own money."

Nodding, Mia slipped the parcel into her duffle back.

Reaching for his utility belt, he pulled out her lightsaber. She took it in her hand, enjoying the way it felt so familiar in her hands. It was simple but elegant in design. She slipped it into her duffle bag.

Suddenly, Mia hugged him. "You'll always be my brother, no matter what," She whispered before pulling away.

He looked shocked by the hug but quickly recovered.

"You could come with me, just leave the Empire," Mia added softly, surprised at how hard this was.

"Mia, nobody in my position just leaves the Empire," Micah stated simply.

Her heart sank and ice filled her chest.

Nodding in an attempt to shake the depressing thoughts away, Mia reached for the duffle bag. Micah handed her the black cloak, motioned for her to put it on. She sighed and took it from his hands, gently setting the bag onto the floor. The shiny black fabric billowed in the air as she pulled it on and folded the hood over her forehead, allowing it to shroud her face in the shadows.

"Remember to duck your head for the cameras," He murmured.

Nodding again, she picked the duffle bag back up.

"Most of the crew is meeting in the hanger for a drill, so the hallways will be fairly deserted." He added.

He put on his helmet without much warning. She tugged at the fabric of her cloak for a moment, suddenly much more nervous than before. She followed him out.

The walk to his private hanger was silent and uninterrupted. She stared up at the Imperial ship, a small, single person ship. He motioned for her to get in.

Turning, Mia climbed up the ladder and sat down in the pilot's seat. She turned to glance at him

Switching on the computers, she was very glad that ships hadn't changed too much from the old Republic's ships. She glanced to her right and smiled at him before taking off. Flying into space, she programed the navi-computer and launched into hyper-space.

July 29th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia wandered through the crowded, busy streets of Corellia. It was hot and the smoke and exhaust of all the factories dutifully building ships clung to her skin. It didn't help that she was wearing a heavy scarf, wearing it so it wrapped around her head and covered her mouth and nose. It was a busy core planet, she couldn't risk a camera getting so much as a glimpse of her face. The war had brought her to this planet from time to time, usually to its large industrial cities. Tonight it brought her to a space pirate. He was well known for having a distinct taste in ships—and women, and spice, and treasure.

Turning down the narrow alleyway, she pulled the hood of her cloak over her face. Around the back of a popular theatre was a narrow red door. Pushing it open, she stepped inside. Smoke hung in the air like a cloud. A man with dark hair and a scraggly beard sat behind a desk, looking more interested in the blond woman sitting in the corner, gazing at him through her thick lashes.

"Where can I find Jace Young?" Mia inquired in a low tone, crossing her arms.

The man glanced at her, a glint in his dark blue eyes. "Well, that really depends on what you want," He stated with a cocky smirk, eyeing her up.

"I would like to move some very precious merchandise," Mia stated, looking around the room.

"Can help you if you don't tell me what it is," He pointed out, still smiling that cocky smile.

She stopped for a moment, staring at an old holo-reel of Clones being let by a Jedi—Master Windu's squadron, if the markings on the helmet of the Captain was anything to go by.

"An Imperial H-class Star Fighter, single pilot, still weaponized," Mia answered, glancing over her shoulder. "I heard you were the man to move something like that."

Jace Young stood up, striding towards her. "Now how did you get your hands on that?" He asked her.

Mia chuckled, "Let's say the pilot isn't doing so well," She told him vaguely.

"What do you want for it?" He inquired, leaning in.

"Mostly to have it off my hands," She stated dismissively, "How about a trade."

"For what?" Jace Young questioned.

Mia just smirked.

July 29th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Anakin watched as the twins sat at the coffee table, drawing quietly. He'd been home for a few hours now but they'd been unusually quiet. He could sort of sense it was because they were nervous about him needed to be in the infirmary again because of some sort of setback. It seemed like the longer things continued to not return to normal, the quieter they became. Mia had been gone for so long and there wasn't any clear indication of when they might find her again. He'd been hospitalized twice now in just a month. Children aren't supposed to go through that kind of stress in such a short period of time.

"So what do you guys want to do for your birthday?" Anakin asked them suddenly.

Luke and Leia looked up at him in surprise. "Birthday?" Leia repeated, her little eyebrows pulling together.

"You're turning five in a few days, do you want to do anything special?" He asked them.

"I'd like cake," Leia suggested.

"Chocolate cake," Luke added insistently.

Anakin stopped for a moment, wondering how he'd scrape together chocolate cake together. "I definitely think that's doable," He spoke up when they began to look uncertain.

"Anything else?" He asked them.

"Can Clause come over for dinner?" Leia added, smiling. "I like his stories."

Anakin nodded, "Anyone else?" He asked.

Luke and Leia looked at each other for a moment, pondering it. "Reina!" They decided at the same time.

"Okay," He agreed. "Anything else you want to do for your birthday?"

Luke and Leia glanced at each other for a moment. Leia sighed. "Can Mia come home?" She asked.

Anakin sighed, "Princess, I don't know when Mia's coming home," He told her quietly.

Tears welling in her eyes, Leia stood and ran upstairs, slamming the door to her room. Luke looked down at the floor.

"Does Mia not want to be a part of our family anymore?" He whispered so low Anakin almost didn't hear him.

"No, of course she wants to be a part of our family," Anakin insisted, "She loves you two more than anything in the world, she wants to be here."

"Then why isn't she here?" Luke asked him, sniffling.

Anakin sighed, not having an easy answer. There was so much he wanted to protect Luke and Leia from. He wanted to see them still have hope. He wanted them to have that innocence he never got to have as a child.

"It's complicated," He whispered.

Standing up, Luke went upstairs without another word.

Looking down at the drawings the twins had made, Anakin sighed. He felt like he was failing them again and again.

July 29th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia stared out at the distant skyline, admiring the way it stretched so far out as the orange and pink sky was slowly whisked away by the night. Great spires of skyscrapers reached into the stars, threatening to surpass them. She smiled gently, admiring it. There was something about travelling to distant worlds for the Jedi Order that she never realized she missed before tonight. The smile dimmed and Mia looked away from the window. Pulling the bedspread off of the bed, she touched her bare feet to the cold floor. Stepping towards the window, she sat down on the floor. She wanted so badly to be taking off right now, leaving and making her way to where ever they were.

One night, she promised herself. One night for her to rest before leaving. It was so much to ask for, to just wait when she could be there by morning.

Closing her eyes, Mia stopped herself for a moment. She needed stop and think for a moment.

She'd been, in the eyes of everyone, held captive for over a month by the Emperor's second in command. If she told the truth to everyone, they'd have her committed. They wouldn't believe her. The Rebellion and its medical doctors would decide she'd been severely psychologically tortured or that she was lying. If they did believe her, she'd be asked about everything she knew about the Empire's military infrastructure and all the weaknesses her brother had.

Whatever she told the Rebellion, she had to tell Anakin the truth.

She couldn't lie to him. She couldn't just walk back into their lives and act like so much about her life hadn't just changed so drastically.

Touching the palms of her hands together, Mia closed her eyes and rehearsed what she'd say.

July 30th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

She didn't sleep much, she couldn't really make her brain shut off all night. It didn't matter, she was leaving today and nothing in the world could stop her. Smiling slightly, Mia glanced out the window of the taxi-speeder and watched as the towering, reflective structures around her flew past. The taxi-speeder made a left, driving down a narrow street. It pulled along the side of a wide, non-descript white building. Paying the driver, Mia stepped out into the warm air. Walking inside the private ship hanger, she walked down a short corridor that branched off.

For a moment, she sensed it, an imprint of a memory she didn't understand. She heard lightsaber sounds and ships taking off, an echo.

Confused by it, Mia stepped away from the corridor where she sensed the echo in the Force.

She found her ship in its assigned hanger. It was sturdy, and honestly a little ugly, but she knew it would get her where she needed to be.

Glancing back at the door, she pushed a square green button the length of her hand. The ceiling above her raised up, opening up to the sky above. Slinging her duffle-bag over her shoulder, Mia climbed up the ladder of the ship. Climbing into the cockpit of the small ship, Mia set her duffle bag down at her side and secured it. Flipping switches, she started up the ship. She could feel the way it floated off the ground, the way power subtly vibrated through the ship as she rose higher into the air.

Flying out of the hanger, she left Corellia. Sitting in hyperspace, Mia pulled out the unregistered comm-link she'd bought the night before. Pushing for the pre-programmed encoded frequency she couldn't forget if she tried, she engaged the comm-link.

A minute later, the comm-line was opened. "Hello?" Obi-wan inquired, baffled.

"Obi-wan?" She laughed, so happy to hear his voice.

A second later, her smile dimmed as she wondered where Anakin was.

"Mia? Mia, where are you?!" Obi-wan questioned, suddenly alarmed.

"I'm in a ship, ready to enter hyperspace," She told him, "I just need coordinates."

"Grid Coordinates: 607.5, 43, 127.82," Obi-wan rattled out, surprised.

Punching in the coordinates in the navi-computer. "Unikar system," Mia murmured, "Mirunkeer."

"You still know the Rebel base frequency?" He asked her.

"I do," She assured him. "I'll be there in a few hours."

Confirming the calculated route, Mia launched the ship into hyperspace.

July 30th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Anakin walked upstairs, surprised to hear voices when he knew the only person up there was Obi-wan. Opening the door to his room, he glanced at Obi-wan standing in the middle of the room with a shocked expression. Eyebrow raised in concern, Anakin stepped further inside. Then he saw it, the old comm. he'd set up with Mia nearly five years ago as an encrypted channel to communicate in emergencies.

"Obi-wan," Anakin spoke carefully, not sure what to expect.

"It was Mia," Obi-wan explained, looking like he didn't quite believe it. "She's in a ship, she needed coordinates, she contacted you."

"How is she?" Anakin asked suddenly, filled with new questions.

Obi-wan paused for a moment, trying to find a way to articulate it. "I, I don't know," He answered, "She wasn't on the line for long, she was about to jump into hyperspace."

"But she's coming here," Anakin confirmed. "When?"

"She said she'd be here in a few hours," Obi-wan answered slowly.

Nodding, Anakin slowly sat down on the bed, shock taking over.

July 30th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan stood in the information center on base, watching as comm. responders monitored for traffic around the planet. Behind him Anakin paced back and forth nervously, tugging at his shirt or running his hand through his hair. The technicians inside the room watched him with growing irritation, clearly wishing he'd finally step outside.

"Incoming vessel, what is your planned flight path?" One of the technicians spoke through the comm.

"This is… requesting… landing coordinates…"

It was cracking and unclear but Anakin was certain he could hear Mia's voice on the other end.

"Incoming vessel, repeat, what is your planned flight path?"

The technician looked to the others within the room, motioning for them to try improving the signal better.

"This is Jedi Knight Mia Rosslyn piloting a J8S-class Corellian-made Star Cruiser, requesting landing coordinates."

Anakin abruptly left the room, wanting to be the first to see her. He rushed out the mess hall and outside where Claus was watching Luke and Leia play in the field below. The older Jedi stood up suddenly, eager to hear the news.

"Is it her, is she here?" Claus questioned, looking nervous.

Anakin nodded, "I just heard her over the comm." He answered, "They're giving her landing coordinates now."

Below in the field, hanger attendants were rushing Luke and Leia off to the side and up the stairs to where Claus and Anakin stood.

"They say a ship's coming," Luke mentioned, completely unaware of who they were all waiting for.

Anakin nodded, too nervous to focus on anything but the fact that Mia was close, so close that even without the bond he could sense her getting closer. Obi-wan appeared outside, looking a little pale.

Suddenly the grass field broke in two as the large hatches opened up with a landing platform for Mia too land the ship. Hanger attendants stood, ready and waiting with anchoring cables in hand. Then he heard it, the fine hum of a ship circling above as it lowered closer to the ground. Heart hammering and palms sweaty, Anakin inched closer to the stairs that would take him down to Mia. The ship landed slowly but solidly, just like he'd taught her. The second it touched the ground, he ran down the steps.

Mia stared out at the trees around her, marveling at the forest as she climbed out of the ship. Landing soundly on the ground, she looked up at Anakin, standing thirty feet in front of her. Dropping the duffle bag, she ran towards him.

He picked her up the second she had her arms around him, spinning her in joy. She laughed and cried, surprised and relieved and so happy to be back.

"Thank the Force your alive," Mia whispered, her voice pitching upward as she buried her head in his chest. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!"

Anakin laughed, "I promise," He insisted, holding on tightly.

"I was so scared something had happened to you," Mia murmured, pulling away.

He wiped the tears away with his thumbs, grinning widely. "I'm just happy you're finally home," He whispered. Glancing to his left, he smiled. "And I'm not the only one."

Following his gaze, Mia smiled as Luke and Leia came running forward. Crouching down, she pulled them into a hug, tears spilling down her cheeks again.

"Oh, I missed you so much," Mia told them, hugging them tightly as she kissed their foreheads and cheeks with joy.

"My birthday wish came true!" Leia exclaimed, overjoyed.

Mia laughed, "Your birthday wish? Your birthday isn't for another three days," She pointed out, "I know, I came home just for that."

"Claus said I could make an early birthday wish," Leia explained, giggling.

Mia's eyebrows knitted together, surprised to hear his name.

"Yeah, so Leia and I both wished for you to come home on our birthday," Luke added.

"And it really came true," Mia laughed, hugging them again.

Up above on the balcony, Claus and Obi-wan watched as Mia reunited with Anakin and the twins. Obi-wan glanced at Claus, wondering if he'd finally go down and greet his daughter for the first time in years.

"Are you going to go down there?" Obi-wan inquired.

Claus shook his head sadly.

"She'll be thrilled to see you," Obi-wan insisted.

"Yes, but she won't know who I really am," Claus muttered, trying to ignore the way his chest ached to just hug his daughter.

As much as he tried to remember, he couldn't clearly recall the last time he got to hug her. There had been a few, brief moments when she'd hugged him, simply because she wanted to, but he couldn't accurately remember how long it had been. She was a teenager then, that he knew.

Truthfully, the day she decided she'd rather be in the field than be a doctor was one of the saddest days of his life.

"You should go down there, she'll want to see you." Claus told Obi-wan, wincing as he heard the bitterness in his own voice.

Nodding understandingly, Obi-wan walked down the wooden stairs onto the ground below. The second Mia saw him she ran and pulled him into a hug. Watching his daughter interact with her family—a family he didn't have a place in—Claus walked back inside alone.

* * *

Yes, I did change my name, I guess you could say I've begun to outgrow it. Yes, chapter 26 is ready to be published next week. Heads up, there is also going to be a few chapters going up on my side fanfic Adventures of a Past Long Gone for this story including chapters for That Shithole of a Planet Parts 2 and 3 as well as A History Lesson in Pranking. Those will be up in a few weeks I think. I'm trying to be more consistent with my updates


	26. Remember This Love

July 30th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia sighed in discomfort as the nurse checked her skin for bruises and cuts she wouldn't find. She didn't like being poked and prodded, especially when there was nothing wrong with her. It was standard procedure though, so she sat through it patiently. Satisfied that there was nothing wrong, the nurse pulled away and left the room. Pulling the hospital gown they'd more or less forced her to wear, Mia pulled the hospital blanket over her.

She heard a knock. "Come in," She called, knowing all too well it was Anakin.

He poked his head in hesitantly. It reminded her painfully of the way he acted after Grev Grandy attacked her and used her as bait. The months that followed, he treated her like cracked glass, one wrong move, one wrong word and she would crumble.

"Hey," Mia murmured, motioning for him to come in.

"_How are you feeling?_" He asked her in sign language.

"_Really tired of being poked and prodded_," Mia signed back.

Anakin nodded, sadness leaking into his eyes. "_The nurse said…_" He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"_I'm fine_," Mia assured him.

"_You were held prisoner for over a month_," Anakin reminded her.

"_It wasn't like that_," Mia told him.

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "_What do you mean 'it wasn't like that?_'" He questioned.

"_I mean I wasn't tortured, nobody hurt me_." Mia explained.

"_What-what about the,_" He started, his hands shaking slightly as he tried to piece together the right words, "_The Force bond, the headaches, the nausea, what about that? Weren't you in a lot of pain?_"

Mia closed her eyes for a moment, "_I did have that, and it did hurt, but nobody hurt me_," She told him. "_I'm fine._"

"_Mia, he's a Sith_," Anakin started.

Somebody knocked on the door, breaking off any response Mia might have had.

"Yes?" Mia called out.

Obi-wan poked his head in, "Mia, somebody wants to see you," He mentioned.

Mia sat up, "Who?" She inquired.

A woman stepped inside the small room, her grey hair pulled back in a tight bun. Mia recognized her as the woman who served on the Rebel Alliance Strategy Committee and had sat in as they asked Mia what field she wanted to specialize in.

"Miss Rosslyn, I wondered if I could speak with you," She requested.

"You want to take my witness statement," Mia guessed, expecting it.

She nodded and glanced at Anakin.

"He can sit in on this," Mia spoke up before the woman could ask if she wanted them to be alone.

Nodding, she stepped further inside the room. Ducking out of the doorway, Obi-wan closed the door.

"Miss Rosslyn, I'm Edna Shvera of the Strategy Committee," Edna stated as she pulled a chair to the side of the bed. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a clipboard and a pen. "In your own words, could you please describe what happened?"

Nodding, Mia sucked in a deep breath. "I was on Ish'einda treating an outbreak of infection. While I was on shift three of the soldiers doing reconnaissance rushed into the tent to warn us that Darth Brutus and his storm troopers were approaching the tent. I knew there wasn't any way we could escape so I went out and confronted him."

"He made a deal with me, if I came with him quietly he would spare the patients, the doctors and nurses, everyone inside that tent. I agreed. He took my lightsaber and took me to his ship. I was held prisoner. He knew I had trained with Anakin and that we had been close. He thought that if he could gain my trust I would eventually lead him to Anakin. He didn't know I was with the Rebel Alliance."

Mia pressed her thumb-nail into her index finger, "I was in my cell when he was having me moved to another ship. He was set to return to Coruscant and he was going to take me with him. Some sort of tactic to try and gain more of my trust."

"Why did he want to gain your trust so badly, was it just about Skywalker?" Edna inquired.

Mia sighed, "Darth Brutus," Mia winced unconsciously, hating to use his title, "Is a lot of things, but he is not a stupid man. It was just strategy."

"He was there as I was being transferred onto the ship. I was in the hanger when I attacked the guards. I knew he carried my lightsaber with him everywhere. It was his way of taunting me. I used the Force to take it and I cut through my cuffs. We fought and at one point I pushed him back with the Force. He was knocked to the ground. I got on one of the ships and flew away."

"I went straight to Corellia. I stole some clothes to blend in and I sold the ship to a pirate in exchange for a cheaper ship. I bought a comm. link and contacted Obi-wan through an encrypted channel and got coordinates to the new base."

Edna nodded, writing her story down on the pad of paper in messy short-hand. "Well, I don't have any questions right now but I will be meeting with the Committee soon and we will be reaching out again as more questions arise."

She glanced between Mia and Anakin, "Until then, enjoy being with your family," She told Mia before leaving.

As the door closed, a heavy silence fell on the room. Anakin watched Mia carefully. Something felt very off about her story and he knew it. He knew Darth Brutus had taken her to her home planet on her birthday and she'd very obviously gotten treatment when the Force bond they'd once held was making them both sick.

"I know you have questions, but can you save them for later?" Mia whispered her request, staring down at the blanket.

Nodding reluctantly, Anakin held her hand. She squeezed his fingers, smiling warmly at him.

July 30th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Obi-wan walked down the halls alone. Anakin had stepped out of Mia's hospital room just long enough to tell him the story. Concern pinching his face, Obi-wan knocked on the door. He didn't hear an answer but he knew Claus was hiding in his office now. He opened the door anyway. Claus sat in his desk chair, staring at the far wall.

"Sulking doesn't suit you," Obi-wan stated, an eyebrow raised.

"Really?" Claus muttered humorlessly, "It seems like I've spent so much of my life sulking."

"I have something I need to ask you," Obi-wan told him, stepping further inside.

Claus didn't meet his gaze, so Obi-wan went on. "I just talked to Anakin," Obi-wan mentioned. "Mia's doing well, she's healthy and there aren't any signs to suggest harm came to her."

Claus glanced up at him, relief filling his eyes.

"Apparently Darth Brutus was trying to gain her trust," Obi-wan stated as he sat down on the cot in the corner. "So I have something I need to ask you. You've seen his face and I need to know if there is any chance he might have a connection to Mia."

"What?" Claus murmured, confused.

"Anakin and I were going over old data on Darth Brutus's whereabouts in the last year or so. His ship was spotted over Ammi-seru on Mia's birthday. Is there any chance that something in Mia's past might have linked her to Darth Brutus?" Obi-wan questioned him.

"He, he took her to Ammi-seru," Claus repeated, "Why would he take her there?"

"Well, one might assume it was an attempt to gain her trust, to remind her of home," Obi-wan pointed out.

"There's nobody from Ammi-seru she was connected to," Claus stated, finding the idea ridiculous, "The only people she knew or was ever close to are dead now."

"Nobody, she didn't know anyone else there?" Obi-wan asked.

"No!" Claus insisted, looking away, "Saru always kept Mia close, she didn't let her interact with strangers because she was always afraid something bad would happen if someone found out she was Deaf."

Obi-wan stopped for a moment, realizing how hard this had to be for Claus. His daughter was safe, was on this floor, and he couldn't even talk to her.

"Claus, I know this is hard," Obi-wan started.

"No, no you really don't," Claus argued, looking away from Obi-wan.

Obi-wan sighed, "Well, if it makes a difference," He added as he got up, "She's okay, she's just fine and when you're ready to tell her, I know she'll be happy to know she still has family out there, family that always wanted to be in her life."

Claus nodded, staring at the ground.

With another sigh, Obi-wan left.

July 30th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia smiled as the leaves crunched under her feet, enjoying the way the sunlight felt on her skin. It seemed like she'd spend so long inside, underground, on ships in space, and it was almost as if she'd forgotten what it felt like, to have the sun warming her skin, to smell the crisp breeze of a late summer day. Anakin held her hand tightly, smiling at how happy she looked. Luke and Leia circled around them, telling Mia about what they wanted to do for their birthday, now that they knew she would be there.

"So, chocolate cake and balloons and me cooking dinner," Mia mused, "That's it?"

"Well, we already got our birthday wish, so yeah, that's it," Leia stated, grinning as she took Mia's free hand in hers.

"No, I want to hold her hand!" Luke argued, feeling left out.

Mia laughed as she slipped out hand out of Anakin's and grabbed Luke's, allowing them to lead her forward down the path to their new home—well, new to her anyway.

Anakin smiled faintly before shifting the duffle bag she'd brought with her into his other hand. When she said she stole some clothes to blend in, he thought she meant just one outfit. Then she mentioned she'd used the extra money she'd gotten from selling the Imperial ship to buy extra clothes in case she needed them. It made him wonder exactly when she'd gotten free.

There were so many questions and she was carefully dodging them, promising to tell him everything later. It just wasn't good enough. He was terrified out of his mind for her safety the last five weeks and he couldn't get the answers he'd been waiting so long for. He could tell from the dimmer shine in her eyes that something was wrong.

They arrived at the cabin. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the keys to unlock the door. Smiling, he motioned for Mia to step inside. She smiled and walked pass him. Her eyes widened as she took in the soft colored wood floors and the way the light seemed to fill every ounce of space even as the sun neared the horizon. She brushed her fingers along the soft, faded navy fabric of the arm chair. She smiled at the deep green blanket that had made its way from Verron to Myrkr to here, draped over the back of the couch.

"We even have a fireplace," Leia mentioned. "But Daddy never wants to use it."

Mia smiled faintly and glanced at Anakin, understanding. Fire and smoke weren't an option for him these days.

"We might have to start using it soon," Anakin mentioned slowly, "The cabins, for the most part, don't have any form of central heat, so we might have to use it."

"Or we could all just bundle up in sweaters and cuddle up in blankets," Mia suggested, grinning. "Besides, wouldn't we need wood?"

Anakin shook his head, "No, it's all gas-powered," He told her.

He watched her hesitancy for a moment, guised behind a small smile. Leia rested her head on Mia's hip, still holding onto her hand like she was afraid Mia would disappear suddenly.

"You know what, how about we break the fireplace in tonight," He suggested, smiling at the twins.

Mia held her breath, uncertain as to how that would go.

"Yeah!" Leia and Luke exclaimed, nodding eagerly.

"But, first we have to have dinner," Mia pointed out.

"You don't have to cook Mia, you just got back," Anakin insisted, "We could just eat at the dining hall."

Mia smiled, "I want to cook," She assured him. It was completely true, she hadn't cooked in so long and she was excited to finally have the chance too.

"Can we have tea?" Luke asked her.

"Can we have tea?" Mia asked him like it was the wildest thing to ask. "Who do you think you're talking to, tea is implied."

Leia's eyebrows furrowed, "What does implied mean?" She asked Mia.

"It means you don't even have to ask, because it's definitely happening," Mia explained.

Walking into the kitchen, Mia giggled as the twins followed her eagerly. "Now, what kind of teas do we have?" She inquired, looking in the nearest cupboard.

"Next one over," Anakin spoke up, watching in amusement.

"Whoa, someone really needs to stock up," Mia joked as she pulled out a package of green tea.

Picking up the kettle, Mia filled it with water before turning on the stove and setting it down. Turning, she explored the cupboards, looking for ideas on dinner.

"Obi-wan's going to be joining us for dinner, right?" Mia asked as she eyed the box of pasta sitting on the middle shelf.

"Probably, but I can definitely check on that," Anakin answered, "If you're cooking tonight, do you want me to grab you anything? Besides tea, I mean."

Mia stopped for a moment to think about that, "Do we have any salad makings?" Mia inquired.

"We have carrots!" Leia piped up.

"And tomatoes," Luke added.

"Tomatoes are so gross!" Leia complained.

Mia laughed, "Okay, salad makings and don't forget the dressing," She told Anakin, "Oh, and something chocolately."

"And get extra carrots!" Leia called out.

Nodding, Anakin left, smiling as he heard Mia giggle.

"Have you turned into a rabbit Leia?" Mia joked as she ran her fingers through Leia's tight baby curls.

July 30th, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Claus walked down the halls of the infirmary, clocking out. He figured he'd end the night early and get some much needed rest. As he walked outside, he spotted Obi-wan crossing along the field Mia had landed her ship at. The other Jedi looked up and noticed Claus standing on the balcony. Turning suddenly, Obi-wan approached him with an all-too innocent looking smile.

"So Mia is cooking dinner tonight, Anakin just invited me over," Obi-wan mentioned.

"She's cooking already?" Claus questioned, surprised, "She just got back."

Obi-wan nodded, "Yes, well Anakin thinks she's trying to jump straight into a normal routine."

"Anyway, Anakin expressed that I should extend the invitation to you," Obi-wan added, smiling again.

He hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Well then, we better get going," Obi-wan stated.

"I need to change first," Claus pointed out, "I'll meet you there."

Obi-wan nodded and said goodbye, heading straight for the path that led to Anakin's cabin. Going down the stairs leading off the deck, Claus went in the opposite direction to get a quick shower and change.

When he arrived at the cabin, he had to stop before knocking to quell his nerves. Taking in a deep breath, he knocked twice. In just a few seconds Mia opened the door. Her eyes brightened in surprise as I great, brilliant smile broke out. Suddenly her arms were around him in a hug. Taken off guard, Claus returned the hug slowly.

"I can't believe you're here!" Mia exclaimed, pulling away as she continued to grin. "Come on in."

Nodding, he stepped inside. Turning, she returned to the kitchen where Anakin was standing, stirring the pot the pasta sauce was cooking in. He smiled at Claus, happy to see he'd shown up. Suddenly Leia and Luke were around him, talking animatedly as they told him their early birthday wish had come true. Anakin smiled at Mia and wrapped his arm around her affectionately, kissing her forehead. Obi-wan stood beside him, smiling. It seemed that so suddenly he'd been pulled into a family that was so much bigger than he'd hoped for, even if they didn't know who he really was.

He was surprised to see how unaffected Mia seemed to be by all she'd gone through, like it had never happened.

She sipped tea, stopping only to laugh at Anakin's joke. She rested her head on his shoulder, so freely affectionate.

"Mia, what's the ETA on dinner?" Obi-wan inquired as Luke and Leia run into the kitchen and then back out.

"Are you getting impatient Obi-wan?" Mia asked him, pouting.

Obi-wan smiled dryly, "No but I do think that is the second time Luke and Leia have run off with one of your carrots," He pointed out.

Mia laughed under her breath, "Five minutes Obi-wan," She told him.

"What's for dinner?" Claus inquired.

"Pasta and salad," Mia answered, grinning widely, "Apparently as large portion of Luke and Leia's meals have been cold sandwiches and dry cereal."

"Hey, they were very good sandwiches," Anakin disputed.

Mia laughed, "I'm sure," She joked, smiling warmly at Anakin.

The timer buzzed and Mia turned the stove off. Grabbing the oven mitts on the counter, she carried the heavy looking pot to the sink and poured out the water.

"Better go tell the carrot thieves that dinner is ready," Mia suggested as she started scooping heaps of pasta into bowls and ladled on sauce.

Nodding, Obi-wan stepped outside for a moment, returning shortly with Luke and Leia. One by one, Mia handed everyone a bowl and directed them to the living room. Setting his serving on the coffee table, Anakin walked to the fireplace and got the fire going.

"We should tell stories," Leia suggested.

"We saw this movie and in it people sat around a fire and told scary stories," Luke added, "It was really cool."

"But I don't want to hear scary stories," Leia stated, shaking her head.

Mia smiled, "Want to hear funny stories instead?" She suggested.

Luke and Leia both nodded eagerly.

"Oh, I have a good one," Obi-wan spoke up, "It's from way back in the early Padawan days."

"We've all heard the story about the screaming bat before," Mia pointed out teasingly.

"Yeah, tell a different one," Leia requested insistently.

Obi-wan grinned, thinking of a good one, "How about one from when Anakin and Mia were younglings."

"Yes, yes!" Luke agreed, eyes widening in excitement.

"Well, this had to been about a year into Anakin's apprenticeship. He and Mia were best friends, thick as thieves, and as you all know, they were particularly prone to mischief," Obi-wan started.

Mia laughed, "Anakin especially."

"Well, about a year in they'd really taken to this bickering stage," Obi-wan continued, "Anakin, in all his great wisdom, had decided it was very fun to sneak up on Mia. He'd try to get as close to her as possible without her noticing. At this age Mia was rather fond of reading in the Room of a Thousand Fountains."

"Wait, was there really a room with a thousand fountains?" Leia interrupted, curious.

"Honestly, at times it seemed like there were a lot more than a thousand," Anakin piped up, "But yes, there was and it was huge."

"So one day he decided it would be even more fun to see if he could push Mia into the fountain she was sitting next to," Obi-wan continued.

"Wait, Daddy, why were you so mean to Mia?" Leia inquired, eyebrows furrowed together.

Anakin stopped for a moment, choking on the pasta, "I don't know Leia," He answered, embarrassed.

"He really didn't know any better," Mia explained, smiling at Leia. "There's more."

"Yes, well, Mia sought revenge," Obi-wan went on, "She was very clever and went to see me and somehow suggested to me that I take Anakin to the Room of a Thousand Fountains to meditate, because she knew better than anyone how bad he was at meditating. He usually fell asleep."

"So, we were sitting in front of the big pond on the ground level meditating and Anakin had to be half asleep because suddenly Mia appeared out of nowhere and pushed him into the pond. He splashed around for a moment, confused and bewildered before he saw Mia sitting on the grass, howling with laughter."

"Remember what he said?" Mia asked Obi-wan.

"Why does it taste like that, don't they ever clean it?" Anakin imitated his younger self, laughing. "And it's really safe to say I never actually tried to do that again."

"Oh, no but you tried plenty of other pranks," Mia pointed out, grinning widely.

They went on telling different stories as they ate dinner. Soon after Luke and Leia began to get sleepy.

"Hey Luke, Leia, do you think you want me to read you your bedtime story?" Mia inquired.

They nodded slowly. "But can you read it out here, I like the fire," Leia requested.

"And can we have tea?" Luke added.

"You've really taken a liking to tea," Mia joked.

"No, I just haven't had tea since you left," Luke explained, sounding tired, "Nobody makes it as good."

Smiling warmly at the compliment, Mia started making tea. "Make sure to go up and bring a blanket down with you," She called out as they walked upstairs to pick the story.

"I'll take a cup of tea too," Claus requested, stepping into the kitchen slowly.

Mia smiled faintly.

"So how does it feel?" He inquired, "Being back, that is."

"The place is strange and unfamiliar but being back, it feels like being home," Mia murmured wistfully, "Like nothing ever changed."

"Plenty has changed," Claus pointed out, wondering if she'd tell him anything about all that had happened.

Mia sighed, "Maybe some things have changed," She whispered, staring down at the empty red cup. "But the important things are still here."

Luke and Leia came down with their blankets, handing Mia the book they'd chosen.

"Ruffo Runs Down the Great Big Hill," Mia read aloud, "Nice pick, I haven't read this in ages."

Pouring four cups of tea, Mia and Claus carried them out to the living room. "I hope you're both staying for tonight's real entertainment," She told Claus and Obi-wan as she took the book from Leia's hands.

Laughing, Obi-wan setting into the armchair, "Oh, I wouldn't miss this," He joked.

Sitting down on the floor in front of the coffee table, her back against the couch, Mia motioned for Luke and Leia to curl up with her. Blankets around their shoulders, they sat down.

"Ruffo was a big red rabbit who loved running," Mia started reading, smiling as she read the familiar tale she'd read to Leia so many times, and eventually, as he returned back into their lives, Luke too.

Halfway through the story Luke and Leia were asleep. Finishing the small book, Mia sat it down on the coffee table in front of her, smiling up at Anakin, Obi-wan and Claus.

"Okay, I've got Luke," Anakin decided, "Obi-wan, want to help with Leia?"

Nodding, Obi-wan got up and picked Leia up, careful to be gentle. Grabbing the blankets, Mia followed them upstairs as they put the twins to bed. Sighing, Claus stood up and made his way towards the door.

"You didn't think you were going to get to leave without saying goodbye, were you?" Mia inquired from halfway up the stairs, smiling in amusement.

He laughed tiredly, "Thought I'd at least try," He joked.

Grinning, Mia went down the rest of the steps, "You know, I'm really glad you're here," She admitted, "It's nice to see a familiar face."

He smiled, "So, I hear you're actually a doctor now," He mentioned.

"Yes, it's official now," Mia laughed.

"I better get going, I have work in the morning," Claus spoke up, opening the door.

"Alright," Mia murmured, smiling, "You should have dinner here more often."

He paused for a moment, "Really?"

"Really," Mia assured him, laughing.

Nodding, he stepped outside and walked down the porch steps. Sighing as he left, Mia closed the door. She smirked as she caught Obi-wan standing at the top of the stairs.

"Have you developed a habit for eavesdropping while I was gone?" She teased him.

"No, only thinking of how wonderful it was to have everyone together," Obi-wan told her as he went down the stairs, "But on that note, I think I should be leaving as well."

Mia hugged him, thankful to be with her family again, even if someone was missing. "Okay, goodnight Obi-wan," She whispered.

"Goodnight Mia," Obi-wan whispered back before departing.

She smiled as Anakin wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "It's just us then," Anakin reminded her.

"And just us has a lot to talk about," Mia sighed, leaning against him.

"You don't have to tell me," He assured her, "Not until you're ready."

Mia smiled, pulling him into a hug, "It's not that I think I have to tell you Anakin," She whispered, "It's that I need to, there's something I just really need to you."

Nodding, Anakin took her hands and gently pulled her to the couch. "Then tell me," He offered, "I'll listen."

Sitting down next to him, Mia curled up against him. "It's such a long story," She told him tiredly. "It starts with when Darth Brutus took me to his ship. He didn't take me to holding like I expected him to. He took me to his private quarters."

He stiffened up, beginning to grow alarmed.

"It's not like that," She assured him quietly, taking his hand in hers. "He took off his mask. I was so surprised by how young he was, he was my age. The first thing he did was ask me if I remembered anything about my life before I was taken to be a Jedi, if I knew anything about my family. He asked me if I had a brother."

Anakin looked at her, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Her eyes, sad and watery and grey, met his slowly. "Anakin, I had a twin brother. I had a twin brother and nobody told me. Someone came to my home planet and told my mother they were a Jedi and they were going to take him to be a Jedi. When Obi-wan and Qui-gon came to take me to the Temple, she asked them about him and they didn't have any reports of him arriving."

"Obi-wan knew I had a brother and he didn't tell me because everyone thought he was dead," Mia started crying. "But he was never dead, he was taken to become a Sith."

"Darth Brutus is your brother," Anakin summed up.

"His name is Micah," She told him, "That's the only name I know, it's the only name I want to refer to him as."

Nodding, Anakin sighed, "But Mia, how can you be sure he's your brother?"

"He looks just like me," Mia answered, "He as the same hair, the same eyes, same jaw line."

"I just," She sniffled, "I'd never even considered that I'd been lied to most of my life and suddenly I was faced with so much evidence."

Anakin wrapped his arm around her, holding her tightly. "So that's why you came home without so much as a scratch," He guessed.

Mia sighed, nodding.

"Obi-wan and I, we were trying to find you and we knew that the best way to find you was to find Da—your brother," He corrected, "We looked through old intelligence from the last year on his whereabouts and we found out his ship had been spotted over your home planet the week before your birthday. We thought that maybe he had some old connection to you in your past."

"Yeah and it goes pretty far back," Mia commented with a touch of dry humor.

"Wait, did he take you to your home planet?" He asked her.

She nodded, "Yes and quite honestly I hated just about every second of it," Mia added. "I never went to my childhood home, I don't think either of us have any idea where it is. He apparently has this huge estate on Ammi-seru, I stayed there."

"We really didn't get along the first week," Mia added. "He was very Sith-like and I'm still very much a Jedi and I very much hate the Empire so we often fought about that."

"I can just imagine," Anakin commented dryly, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Yeah, well that really changed after I got sick," Mia whispered, "He had to take me to an off-world facility, and that led to a lot of tests and Deaf-ness—oh and have I mentioned he didn't know an ounce of sign language?"

"He knew you were Deaf, right?" Anakin checked, not sure if he was amused or not.

Mia laughed, "Yes, I kind of made a point about that," She added.

"Because of the medications they had me on, most of my hearing was temporarily compromised so I tried teaching him sign language. He got the hang of it a little actually. I was transferred to another facility and I stayed there for about a week." Mia went on. "Sith or not, he is a really good brother. When I told him I suspected I might find out more about my illness from the old Jedi Archives—their medical history anyway—he got the information to me without hesitation."

"Wait, you thought the Jedi had seen something like this?" Anakin clarified, surprised.

Mia nodded, "I knew that the farther away from you I was, the worse I felt and if I was closer, I felt better. I thought it had something to do with the Force bond and that if that was the case, the Jedi were going to be the only ones with any information on it." She explained.

"So you figured it out," Anakin guessed.

"Yeah but honestly I found a lot of unexpected information in the medical files. There were cases where relatives within the Order were kept apart or one case where a Jedi had gotten pregnant and was forced to either leave the Order or put the child up for adoption. There were cases involving brothers, sisters, parents."

Her throat became tight, "How could they just do that to families?" She asked him, tears slipping down her face.

Pulling away for a moment, Anakin smiled sadly at her as he wiped her tears away. "Hey, you found your brother, that's what matters," He tried to comfort her.

Another tear slipped down her cheek, "Anakin, my father was a Jedi and I don't even know his name," She told him, voice tight.

He looked at her, shocked. "Your father was a Jedi," He repeated, not sure whether or not to believe it.

She nodded. "I got a hold of my Jedi file, including the medical file. They found out and all he was to them was a medical tag on my Jedi file," She explained, angry and hurt and sad. "Even if I knew his name, he might not even be alive now."

Anakin hugged her tight to his chest, mind whirling with connections. Claus was a Jedi and a father, a father of a boy and a girl. His wife was dead and he believed his son was dead. He looked so much like Mia, the same coloring, the same capacity to care for others, that same drive and compassion. It was so glaringly obvious to him now that he had to question how he'd missed it.

"Can I ask you something," He requested, wanting to take her mind off it. He didn't know how to comfort her and he was fairly certain by her new silence, she wanted to think about anything else.

"Yeah?" Mia whispered.

"That story about escaping, was that just something you told the Rebellion official?" He asked her.

She nodded, "I never had to escape. He understood that I have a family waiting for me and that I needed to return home, so he let me leave." She told him quietly.

Nodding, Anakin breathed a sigh, "Is there anything else you want to talk about?" He inquired.

"Nothing that can't wait till tomorrow," She whispered.

"Want to go to bed?" He offered.

Laughing, she nodded. "I'm so exhausted, honestly," Mia agreed.

Smiling, he untangled himself from her. Locking the front door, he turned off the kitchen light and put out the fire in the fireplace. Turning, he walked back to the couch and picked Mia up. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling as he carried her upstairs. Setting her down on her feet just outside the bedroom door and opened it. Her eyes widened at the familiarity of it and the strong sense of déjà vu.

"Do you not like it?" He inquired, confused.

"No, it's just," She started, amazed, "I had a dream about this room a few weeks ago."

Closing the door, Anakin took her hand in his. "Was it at least a good dream?" He inquired.

She laughed, realizing he had no idea. "Yeah, definitely a good dream," She mused.

His fingers brushed down the length of her shoulder, tickling her through her fabric of her shirt. "What happened in the dream?" Anakin whispered, moving closer.

"You'll have to find out in the morning," She promised him, smiling.

"There's a cryptic comment in there, I can sense it," He teased her as he brushed his fingers through her long hair.

"Oh, really now," She laughed, her grey eyes meeting his blue eyes, darker in the dim light. "With your Jedi senses and everything?"

"With my Jedi senses and everything," He commented, smirking mischievously.

He kissed her, wondering why he hadn't done this sooner. Mia's arms wound together on his shoulders as she stood on the tips of her toes, closing the space between them. Anakin smiled against the kiss, his hands rested on her hips, keeping her close. He could feel the soft exhale of her sigh and the way her shoulders sagged from exhaustion. She probably hadn't gotten much in the way of sleep in the last few days.

"Tired?" He guessed.

She nodded, smiling faintly. "Yeah."

"I think maybe we should just go to bed," He suggested.

Her eyebrows furrowed together for a moment in surprise. "Really?" She asked.

Anakin nodded. "I think I'd much rather have you well rested when we do that," He explained, "Seriously, you look exhausted."

Mia sighed, nodding slowly. The fingers of her hand laced with his as she allowed him to lead her to bed. Slipping under the crumpled duvet of a bed that looked like it hadn't been made in ages, she laid down. Anakin was next to her in a moment, wrapping his arm over her as he held her close. Reaching out with the Force, he turned the light off. Her cold hand pressed to his side as she dipped her head to his chest, breathing a sigh of relief. Anakin was pretty sure she was smiling with content.

* * *

After a very long week full of exams, I am very happy to end this week on a happy note. Please leave me a review, you know how they make me happy. Nothing makes me happier than knowing you all enjoyed it. Have a very spooky Halloween!


	27. Remember These Happy Moments

So I finally finished this chapter Wednesday night (more like Thursday morning) and because this weekend is such an immensely special occasion, I wanted to post it.

* * *

August 1st, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia smiled, feeling warm and at home. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so at home. She smiled wider at the way Anakin's arm was draped over her waist, keeping her close, and the way his breath trickled along the back of her neck and down her shoulder. Slowly, Mia opened her eyes. The room was brightly illuminated by the sunlight that filtered through the forest canopy outside. It fractured along the walls, bouncing off the warm toned white paint, and brushing along the wood floors.

Smiling, she rolled over and looked up at Anakin's sleepy expression.

"Sleep well?" He asked her, voice a little gravelly.

"Yeah, best night's sleep I've had in ages," She whispered, her hand resting on his side. "I can't remember the last time I felt so at home."

Anakin grinned. "Maybe sometime on Myrkr?" He asked.

Mia shook her head, "Myrkr never quite felt like home," She whispered. "It felt familiar because it reminded me of what it was like living in the Jedi Temple but it never felt like home to me, just a transition period."

"I think the lack of windows and outside time might have had something to do with that," Anakin commented, chuckling.

Mia nodded in agreement, smiling. "I think the last time I had that feeling, being at home, was on Verron," She murmured. "This place, it reminds me a lot of Verron."

"You consider Verron home?" He asked her, surprised.

She nodded, "Yeah, I do," She answered him softly.

Anakin smiled at the thought. He liked that in only a day—not even that long—she felt at home in this strange new place. He liked the way her eyes seemed so bright, he wasn't sure the last time he'd seen her eyes so vibrant and alive. Leaning in closer, he kissed her gently. Mia sighed faintly in content, pulling him closer into the kiss as her fingers slipped under his arm and rested along his neck, her thumb brushing the curve of his jaw. He missed the way her hair smelled like almonds and vanilla and the way her back always arched a little more when his fingers ran along her spine. She missed the way he always made her feel so safe and so loved.

August 1st, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Claus stood at the counter of the nurse's station, glancing through the printed lab work for anything unusual in the blood panels of his new patient. He wasn't really liking the elevated white cell count when there wasn't any other indicator of infection. Suddenly he felt like someone was watching him. Looking up, he was surprised to see Edna Shvera of the Strategies Committee standing in the middle of the hall as nurses and doctors milled through. She was staring right at him, making Claus curious to know exactly what she wanted.

"Doctor Greyback," She spoke, greeting him.

"Yes?" He asked, growing concerned.

"As you know, Mia Rosslyn has recently returned to the Rebel Alliance," She began.

"You mean escaped her Sith captor and stole a ship so she could return to her family," Claus corrected, feeling a little more blunt and irritable than he really should be.

Edna sighed, "Yes, well, she's going to begin working in the infirmary in the next few days and I thought since you knew each other at the Jedi Temple you wouldn't mind giving her a tour of the medical facility." She summed up, smiling thinly.

He stopped for a moment, surprised.

"If it's a problem, I can certainly find someone else," She suggested when he didn't say anything.

"No, no, I'd be more than happy to give her the tour," He insisted before the opportunity was ripped out of his hands.

"Excellent," Edna concluded.

Turning, she walked back down the hall.

August 1st, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia sighed as she listened to Obi-wan explain his idea. Sipping tea, she debated the point of taking up his suggestion and getting more tests done. He was concerned there could be damage to her brain from the swelling, not at all aware how well she'd been cared for medically while aboard her brother's ship. She could understand it, if it were Anakin or Obi-wan in this position she'd suggest the same thing but suggesting the idea and carrying it out were to two very separate things. After four weeks of medical observation and testing, she was extremely sick of doctors. Ironic statement from her, to be honest.

"I'm just saying, if there is something wrong under the surface, it's better to know now and get ahead of it," Obi-wan explained.

Mia sighed, raising an eyebrow as she leaned back in the kitchen table chair, arms crossed.

"If it helps any, it doesn't have to be Claus, but he was Anakin's doctor when the Force bond was causing the chaos," Obi-wan pointed out, "He would best understand if there were any remaining problems."

Mia sighed again. Glancing at Anakin, she wondered why he'd remained so quiet. "Anakin, you've been very quiet, what do you think?" She asked him.

He shrugged, "I think it's your choice," He muttered. "I don't know if Claus would remain objective though."

Mia's eyebrows furrowed for a moment as she looked between Obi-wan and Anakin, "Am I missing something?"

"No, of course not," Obi-wan insisted, watching Anakin closely, surprised by the comment.

Anakin watched Obi-wan back, wondering if he knew Claus was Mia's father. It wouldn't surprise him, he apparently knew Mia had a brother from the beginning and had kept it from her. Who knew what else he'd kept from her.

"No, something's definitely going on here," Mia insisted, looking between them. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

"A lot of things happened while you were gone," Obi-wan pointed out, deflecting.

Mia looked between the two of them, still suspicious. "Anything either of you want to say right now?" She asked them both, trying to pry it out of them.

"I think Obi-wan's right but I understand why you wouldn't want to get more brain scans and more tests done," Anakin stated, trying to assure her. "I want to know you're okay though."

Nodding, Mia took his hand in hers, smiling. "Okay then, I guess I'll see him today."

August 1st, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia wandered through the medical facility, eyebrows furrowed as she looked for any clue as to where she should be heading. She'd initially wanted someone to go with her, given that she'd only been here a day, but Obi-wan had to report in for duty and Anakin was coming down with a headache. At least, that's what he told her it was. He couldn't really meet her eyes when he backed out of accompanying her. Despite what Anakin and Obi-wan told her, she could tell something was definitely off.

"Mia?"

Turning around, Mia smiled, relieved to see Claus's surprised expression.

"I thought you weren't supposed to start working here for another few days," He pointed out.

"No, I'm not," She told him, "But Obi-wan and Anakin wanted me to visit and get some tests done."

"I thought they did that yesterday," Claus stated, confused.

Mia nodded slowly, "Um, yeah they took some blood and I had x-rays taken but Anakin and Obi-wan are concerned that I might have some underlying brain damage after the Force bond drama," She explained.

"Well, we can run a few brain scans," Claus offered. "Just follow me."

Nodding again, Mia followed him down the hall. "Really glad I ran into you, I was very lost," She mentioned.

"I want to have a nurse check up on you, ask a few questions, test your memory and coordination while I get some forms for you to fill out," Claus stated.

"Sure," Mia agreed.

He led her to an exam room before departing. A minute or so later someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Mia called, shifting in anticipation.

A woman stepped in. Her olive-toned skin was freckled and her almond shaped brown eyes were warm. "Hello, I'm Reina," She introduced herself.

"Mia," She replied.

"You're Anakin Skywalker's wife, right?" Reina inquired.

Mia paused for a moment, taken by surprise. "No, actually I'm his girlfriend," She corrected the nurse slowly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, from the way Luke and Leia talked about you, I assumed you were their mother and jumped to conclusions," Reina backtracked.

Mia nodded, "It's really alright, I don't mind," She assured the woman.

"Well, I need to ask you a few questions," Reina continued, "First can you tell me your full name and today's date."

"Mialera Rosslyn, today is August 1st," Mia answered.

"I'm going to give you five words, I want you to repeat them back to me," Reina stated. "Soup, shirt, vaccine, needle, girl."

"Soup, shirt, vaccine, needle, girl," Mia repeated.

August 1st, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Anakin sat on the couch as he watched Luke and Leia eat the sandwiches and cut up fruit Mia had prepared for them before she left for the infirmary. He sat with nervous anticipation. On one hand, he was afraid something might be wrong with Mia's beautiful brain. On the other hand, knowing she'd received excellent medical care, he knew he could reasonably hope for the best but his brain and his worries weren't exactly acting reasonable. He supposed he'd know soon enough but until then he worried.

Luke glanced at him for a moment, as if he sensed something was wrong. They were becoming more and more perceptive as time went on. Soon their Force-sensitive talents would begin to surface. He wasn't exactly sure when but Mia had told him that her gifts began to develop when she was their age. Obi-wan had developed his talents a little older than she had. Obi-wan attributed Mia's early onset of Force-sensitivity to her dedication to learning the Force so she could begin to hear.

Hands shaking a little, he sipped his coffee, something he knew wasn't helping his nerves.

August 1st, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia folded her arms over her stomach, trying to get comfy on the cold metal table she was lying on. At least she had blankets to keep her warm but they weren't overly helpful. The table slid into the machine. She listened as Claus informed her that the machine was starting. She didn't quite hear it, thanks to the ear plugs—something she didn't really need but was thankful for all the same. Closing her eyes, she took slow, level breaths. Her mind was drifting between anticipation for Luke and Leia's birthday and her worries. She was very worried about her brother, now more than ever because she had no way to contact him. She was also worried about Anakin and all that he'd gone through.

August 1st, Four Years Post Galactic Empire

Anakin looked up suddenly as the door opened and Mia stepped inside. She smiled reassuringly at him and sat down on the couch with him. Her skin smelt faintly of jasmine soap and her hair was braided tightly.

"How'd it go?" He asked her.

"Um, I saw Claus, got the brain scan. He said he's going to review it in depth and he'll get back to me later today, tomorrow morning at the latest." She explained.

Shifting so that one leg was crossed over the other, Mia took his hand in hers, "So, did you get the supplies I asked for?" She asked him.

"Yes although Luke and Leia were very suspicious when I wanted to go grab more food, given I'd gone just yesterday afternoon," Anakin explained.

"Tomorrow they're five," Mia mused.

"Yes and in a few days they'll begin their lessons," Anakin added, smiling.

"It feels like it's gone by in such a blur," Mia commented, leaning against the back of the couch as she remembered all the late nights with Leia.

Anakin laughed, "One big, messy, chaotic blur," He agreed.

"Pretty soon we'll have to start training them in the Force," Mia mused.

Anakin nodded in agreement, slightly apprehensive about that. He supposed he could blame it on the fact that, despite having trained Ahsoka, he had no idea how to teach a youngling how to sense the Force, let alone how to use it.

It wasn't that though. He was nervous that if he taught his children how to harness the Force he'd eventually be putting them in danger. Darth Sidious was continuously seeking out Force sensitive children, cutting down the next generation of Jedi before they could begin. Parents of Force sensitive children went into hiding every day, or put their children through risky procedures designed to reduce Force sensitivity.

While Luke and Leia had every right to learn the ways of the Force as he and Mia had, he was terrified of eventually putting them in the path of the Emperor.

Mia sighed, resting her head on his shoulder, "I know, it scares me too," She agreed. "Unfortunately I don't think there's any way around it. If we don't train them, they won't know how to control it and that could lead them further into danger."

"You're not taking into account what the Alliance will want to do once they become of fighting age," Anakin muttered.

Mia sighed, "I'm hoping we'll have put an end to the Empire by then."

"Ever optimistic," Anakin murmured, wrapping his arm over her shoulders.

August 2nd, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

They were woken up by Luke and Leia jumping onto their bed in a fit of excitement. Anakin sat up immediately, alert and wide eyed as he took in the wide grins of Luke and Leia. Mia opened her eyes slowly, groaning as she was looking out at the sky that had barely begun to show any signs of life.

"It's not even morning yet," Mia pointed out, partially slurring through her words as her full awareness began to set in.

"But look, you can see light," Leia insisted as she stood up on the bed, pointing out the window.

"Princess, we wanted to get some sleep," Anakin explained. "Mia's still very tired from her trip."

Mia nodded in agreement but she wasn't tired from her trip a few days prior. She'd stayed up late last night baking two cakes—tradition—after the twins had gone to sleep, wanting it to be a surprise.

"Well, I'm up now," Mia mumbled as she sat up, her toes brushing the wood floors as she got up.

"Can we have pancakes for breakfast?" Leia requested.

"With berries like you used to do?" Luke added.

Mia smiled, "Of course," She agreed as she followed them downstairs, Anakin trailing behind slowly.

"Anakin, will you get the coffee started?" Mia requested as they walked into the kitchen.

"Put the kettle on too?" He guessed, yawning.

"Yes please," Mia agreed, smiling.

Fulfilling her requests, Anakin wandered off upstairs, briefly mentioning that he should be meditating. Mia busied herself preparing the pancake batter as she listening to Leia tell her stories of the dreams she had.

"And there was a Wookie and he was super, super tall and we were walking in a meadow and Luke was there and but he was a lot older and he wanted us to go on adventures with him," Leia rambled on.

"Mia, will you ever teach me to cook like you?" She inquired, standing on the tips of her toes as she watched Mia pour big scoops of batter into a pan, her eyes wide.

"Yes but it'll have to be when you're a little older," Mia told her.

Leia frowned, "How old?"

"Old," Mia answered cryptically.

"Like, when I'm six?" Leia inquired. "Or when I'm seven?"

Mia laughed in amusement, "You're getting warmer."

"What, so eight?" Leia guessed.

"Yeah, eight's pretty good," Mia answered.

Sometime later Anakin came down as Mia was getting ready to serve breakfast. Taking a plate from her, he watched as she carefully served warmed up berries over the pancakes.

"When was the last time we had pancakes like this?" Anakin inquired, remembering Mia used to make pancakes with berries or fresh fruit all the time.

She'd joke that it was the only way to get him to eat something nutritious.

"I don't know, when was the last time you could safely get fruit knowing it hadn't been frozen for weeks, months even?" Mia countered with a grin.

"You really like it here," Anakin guessed as he followed her to the tiny kitchen table, sitting between her and Leia.

"I do," She agreed, smiling widely.

Reaching over, Anakin began to cut up Leia's pancakes before she batted his hands away. "No, I want to do it, I'm five now so I'm big enough to do it," She insisted.

Anakin laughed.

Mia glanced at Luke, "_Do you want me to not cut up your pancakes too?_" She asked him in sign language.

"_No, you do it_," He told her, smiling.

"So in a few days you start school with all the other younglings," Mia mentioned aloud, "Are you excited?"

Luke shrugged but Leia nodded, grinning. "_Daddy and Obi-wan said you liked school when you were our age_," Leia signed as she chewed on a bite of pancakes.

Mia nodded, "_I did, I liked learning new things_," She replied, "_I liked reading the most_."

"_We can read now_," Luke commented slowly.

"_Yes, and once you start school you're going to get so much better at it_," Mia pointed out, "_Soon you won't need us to read with you. We still will though_."

"So when are Obi-wan and Claus coming over?" Leia asked, smiling.

"Probably not for a few more hours Leia," Anakin answered her, "It's still pretty early in the morning."

Leia nodded slowly before looking over at Luke, "Can we play Rat Race?" She piped out, grinning widely.

Eyebrows furrowed, Mia glanced over at Anakin, "_Rat Race, what do they mean Rat Race?_" She asked him in sign language.

"_It's a board game Obi-wan managed to bring home when we came here_," Anakin answered, "_I can't remember how he got it though, either he found it in his cabin or he managed to scour it from some dark cupboard at the intelligence-analysis room, something like that_."

Mia nodded slowly, "How's it played?" She inquired.

"I'll show you!" Leia declared as she charged upstairs to retrieve the game.

August 2nd, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

Claus scowled up at the holo-net in the corner as it flickered intermittently during the televised broadcast. A news reporter with pin-straight hair and a lot of makeup—which said something given the low quality of their holo-net connection—was announcing the day's events for the big Empire celebration. He missed the days when not all the news reporters out there were universally human but this Empirical tyranny had brought about an age of oppression.

"Would you turn that shit off," Someone behind him shouted angrily.

"Yeah, I take sugar with my coffee, not lies and bullshit!" Larky, a guy from maintenance shouted.

The poor kid who had the misfortune of working the holo-net in the mess hall this morning looked around, before he fumbled and changed the signal to another channel.

"I'm Heli Yakar and I'm here with you counting down the clock until the big Empire Gala in celebration of our glorious Empire's Independence Day!"

"I said turn it off!"

"Everyone here on Coruscant is greatly looking forward to an appearance from Emperor Palpatine!"

The signal flipped through channel after channel, each filled with a different reporter with the same story.

"It's on every channel!" The kid insisted, looking around as expressions grew angrier and angrier.

Standing up, Claus walked over to the holo-net and turned it off. "There, no lies and bullshit to ruin your morning," He commented sarcastically.

Turning, he began to walk back to towards the table he'd been sitting at before he noticing Obi-wan had sat down across from his tray with an amused smile.

August 2nd, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia laughed happily as Luke began picking up the pieces that had fallen down when, while tossing the dice on the board to determine the stride of his next turn, a stray dice knocked into her game piece. Of course her game piece rolled into Anakin's and midway through Luke reaching out clumsily to try and right his wrongs, he'd inadvertently shifted one of the little stacks of cards over. She couldn't remember the last time she'd played a proper board game. Luke and Leia always been so young and impatient that it was hard to convince them to sit still long enough to play one. Before that, who knew when the last time she'd played a game that didn't immediately involve gambling and possibly alcohol.

She looked over at Anakin as he dutifully rearranged the cards so they somewhat resembled orderliness. Perhaps it was when they were Padawans?

Obi-wan favored games that required chance and an opportunity to gage the likelihood of each chance outcome. Anakin favored games that required intense tactics and strategy, which was perhaps why he was such a successful general. She was adept enough with both types though.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door. Sitting up, Mia glanced at Anakin with a raised eyebrow before he got up and answered it.

"Hey, thanks for coming," Anakin greeted them—leading Mia too assume they had company other than Obi-wan. It was tradition for Anakin to greet their former master with a sarcastic comment, followed by banter.

Glancing up from the board game they had set up on the living room floor, Mia smiled at Claus and Obi-wan.

"You two took your sweet time getting here," She joked.

"It's hardly even ten," Obi-wan argued.

Anakin laughed, "Yes, well, someone wanted us up at the crack of dawn."

"I wonder who that might have been," Obi-wan mused, glancing between Luke and Leia.

"I'm making tea," Mia decided as she stood up.

"I'll help you make it!" Leia declared, following her into the kitchen.

Mia smiled as she put the kettle on, turning for a moment to look out the wide, open windows that gave such a beautiful view of the forest outside. Their kitchen on Myrkr had been small and it was uncomfortable to have two, let alone three or four, people in the kitchen. On Verron their kitchen had been spacious but it only offered a view of the fence that separated their house from the next.

There were so many things about this new place she liked, strange and unfamiliar as it was. She liked that cold concrete wasn't the first thing her bare feet touched in the morning. She liked that hiding who she was, who Anakin was, no longer existed as an aspect in her life as it had on Verron. She loved, absolutely loved, that Luke and Leia could play outside but she no longer had to worry and watch every second of their lives outside because she was afraid someone would take them from her.

August 2nd, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

He didn't know why it was that the armor seemed so heavy today, somewhat impeding to him. As he walked down the long corridors of the Emperor's private palace in fast strides, Micah gave instructions to the security team. It was like this every year, a big fuss over the Empire Day celebration and the awaited appearance of the Emperor. As the years passed he had begun to make fewer and fewer appearances. He hid behind a holo screen, sinking away into the darkness of his lair. Micah sometimes wondered if Darth Sidious had been more vain than he'd given the man credit for being. Being scarred, wounded, mauled by Windu and his lightsaber seemed to have changed his demeanor somewhat from what he'd known growing up.

Perhaps it was because his outer appearance now reflected what existed underneath all charming charisma and false smiles.

Well, there was the growing paranoia to blame for his reclusive behavior. Every day that Skywalker eluded the Empire was another day he waited to die by the hands of Skywalker.

August 2nd, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia watched through the wide kitchen windows as Luke and Leia ran outside, playing space pirates again, except they were good pirates who saved people from bad guys and protected the innocent. They just flew a big, invisible space pirate-ship as they did all this.

Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Claus stepped into the kitchen. Under his arm was a thick white packet.

"You have the results then," She guessed.

"I thought it would be best to show you while they were preoccupied." He admitted as he held it out to her, "I also thought you'd like to see it for yourself."

Taking the packet from his hands, she pulled out a holo-disk and a stack of printed papers and slides. Turning on the holo disk, she held it in her palm. In front of her a 3D image of her brain floated.

"It looks pretty normal," Mia observed as she pulled out a slide and held it up to the light.

"Yes, there's no swelling and no damage but I'll tell you the same thing I told Anakin," Claus began.

"Get checked up soon anyway," Mia guessed, smiling.

Claus nodded, "But I'm sure I won't have to pester you on that. Anakin on the other hand," He trailed off, smiling.

August 2nd, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

As the sun began to set on the distant skyline, a burning glow of red reflected off of the metal and glass forest, extravagant speeders began to pull up to the Dekacadre building in the center of Imperial Circle. The Dekacadre building was a tall, swooping spire that twisted as it reached for the skies, placed perfectly in front of the Emperor's palace. Music played quietly in the background as the guests danced. Wealthy and powerful figureheads in the Empire conversed over expensive glasses of wine. These were respected diplomates, leaders of banking clans and Imperial generals.

Micah stood in a large room with monitors lined along the wall, overseeing the security patrols of the palace. There was something that was unsettling him with the Force and he wasn't sure what that was.

"Lord Brutus, the Emperor has requested your presence."

Turning, he left the room. Guards suddenly stood at attention and saluted him as he passed. Ignoring them, he walked down the long winding hall.

The Emperor's throne was large and extravagant but constantly shrouded in darkness. Darth Sidious sat on his thrown, his ghastly yellow eyes shined in the dim lighting. Walking further into the thrown room, he bowed in front of his Master.

"Do you sense it?" Darth Sidious questioned, his voice low and raspy as he stared at his young apprentice.

"There is an imminent threat," He acknowledged.

"A storm is brewing on the distant horizon," Darth Sidious stated, sounding almost pleased by it.

Staring up at his Master through the lenses of his mask, Micah pondered that statement. How was it he sensed a threat nearby and yet Darth Sidious seemed pleased by it.

The comm. on his arm beeped suddenly with a warning. "It's time," He declared.

Standing, Darth Sidious crossed the long room, his personal guard stepping to his side. Standing as well, Micah followed him out of the thrown room. They made their way down a series of corridors until they reached the tall double doors leading onto the balcony. The guards opened the heavy doors slowly before bowing to the Emperor as he passed through the threshold. Straight ahead was the Dekacadre building, standing tall in the sea of buildings. The shining ember lights of the ball room were visible from this distant.

Across the city the Empire's anthem played, echoing through the busy streets as screens positioned above lighted up with the Empire's symbol. Citizens of Coruscant looked up at the screens as the anthem reached its end.

"Citizens of the Empire," Emperor Palpatine called out, his voice bellowing throughout the city world. "Tonight is a fine night for the Empire. Five years we have stood tall in the wake of the war. We've been greeted with peace."

"Our Empire grows stronger every day as we work to ensure safety. New technologies are developed every day to bring us ease of mind in our daily lives. The people of the Empire are growing and as we grow to new heights I think of the future."

He stood dutifully by his Master's side, eying the skies and watched the guests of the building before him. Even as he stretched his senses farther out he could not sense where the threat was hiding or when it would surface. It left him with an uneasy feeling. As much as he tried to listen to the speech being made beside him, he couldn't shake the looming threat.

"Tomorrow is a new day for the Empire and we are ready to take every opportunity it gives."

With that, Emperor Palpatine returned inside, not bothering to listen to the applause so clearly heard from the building behind him. His guards and his apprentice followed him back inside. Stopping, he turned to the guards for a moment.

"Leave us, there is something we must discuss," The Emperor decided.

Turning, they left without a word.

"My apprentice, I have an assignment for you," Darth Sidious stated. "There is a reporter who has obtained a very valuable piece of information."

"What would you have me do?" He inquired, bowing his head.

"She must be handled with care, I need that intel before I can continue with Phase II of the plan." Darth Sidious decided.

Reaching into the folds of his cloak, he pulled out a data disk undoubtedly full of the necessary details for the mission. Taking it from the hands of his Master, Micah bowed lowly.

August 2nd, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

Luke and Leia giggled gleefully as they watched Anakin and Mia carry two cakes into the living room with care. Claus, Obi-wan and Reina sat at the couch, watching the twins with smiles. They'd been eagerly awaiting the cake, their favorite part of their birthday. As Mia and Anakin set the cakes on the coffee table and lit the candles, everyone began singing Happy Birthday.

"Happy Birthday dear Luke and Leia, Happy Birthday to you!"

"Make a wish," Mia whispered to them.

After a moment of thought, they blew out the candles. Anakin smiled at Mia as she hugged Luke and Leia close to her before reaching for the knife and serving fork to cut the cakes with. It was her idea from the beginning to make two cakes, one for each of his children, a tradition she carried on when Luke and Obi-wan came to live with them. Leia clapped with delight as Mia placed a good sized piece onto her plate. Luke rocked back and forth, waiting as Mia cut him a slice of cake too. He couldn't believe that, after losing Padme, he'd been so lucky to still have Mia in his life. She loved Luke and Leia as if they were her own children. He supposed that, in a way, they were.

"So, what'd you wish for?" Obi-wan asked.

Mia glanced up and raised an eyebrow at him, "You know perfectly well they aren't supposed to tell you what they wished for," She scolded him gently.

"Yeah, then it wouldn't come true!" Leia stated as she took another bite of her cake.

"_If he knew, why did he asked?_" Luke signed for a moment, curious.

"_Obi-wan asked because he likes to make trouble from time to time_," Mia spoke as she signed.

Luke made a face and turned to Obi-wan. "_You shouldn't make trouble Obi-wan_."

Claus chuckled, thankful he still knew enough sign language to keep up.

"What'd he say?" Reina inquired.

"He told Obi-wan he shouldn't cause trouble," Anakin translated.

Crouching down next to Luke and Leia, Anakin asked them: "Do you want to open your presents?"

"We got presents?" Leia questioned, surprised.

Mia laughed, nodding. "I'll go grab them."

Standing, she went up the stairs. A minute later she came down with a handful of small packages and two bags. Crouching down next to the twins and Anakin, she offered him the three presents he'd picked out. Two were thin, flat rectangular boxes and the other was a smaller, square shaped box. Handing a flat, wrapped up package to both of his children, he watched as they ripped open the paper. He'd gotten both of them a blank pad of paper and a coloring book.

"This box is technically something you have to share," Anakin added as his set it down between the two of them.

"I want to do the ribbon," Leia decided.

"Okay and I get to pull off the wrapping paper," Luke agreed.

Reaching forward, Leia gently pulled at the ribbon and unraveled it before letting Luke rip apart the paper.

"Woah, cards," Luke murmured as he picked up one of the packs, admiring the illustration of a Starfighter on the back.

Leia reached for the second pack, her little fingers tracing over the silhouette of the black cat and the red flowers with their black centers.

"I'm hoping you both remember how to play the games I taught you," Mia spoke up.

They both nodded.

"Okay, Leia, this is bag is for you and this bag is for you Luke," Mia mentioned as he handed out the bags.

She'd managed to get her hands on paint while they were still on Myrkr and with Luke and Leia's birthday coming up in a few months, she decided to save them for the occasion. Getting one's hands on a good toy or two wasn't easy in the Rebellion and in fact most of the toys went to the daycare or the small school on the base.

Leia squealed with delight as she pulled out the paint, grinning at Luke as he pulled out paint too.

"Cool!" Luke declared.

"What do you say?" Anakin inquired.

"Thank you!" Leia shouted, grinning from ear to ear.

"_Thank you_," Luke added, signing.

August 2nd, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

The smoky air of the lounge filled his lungs as the green and teal laser lights shined in his eyes. For this mission he'd shed his heavy armor. Instead he wore black pants, and a dark grey shirt with a long black coat over it. Cushy black leather booths lined to the walls on his right and left. Stepping further inside, he approached the stairway, lit at each step with a small green lit lamp on either side. Below was a long, curving glass-top bar with elegant black stools lining it. The bartender stood in front of a patron, smirking as he passed a glass of colorful liquid to a rather inebriated looking gentleman. At the end of the bar a woman sat. Her dark blue coat hid her rather well, the high collar hiding the tattoo on her neck, the one he'd seen in her surveillance photos. Seating himself one stool over, he nodded at the bartender.

"A Nightspade, make it a double," He requested, staring straight ahead.

"You didn't come here for the liquor," She commented as the bartender walked away, smirking wryly as she turned to him.

"Oh, and what did I come here for?" He responded, raising an eyebrow.

She scoffed, "Please, I know a military man when I see one," She stated, "However, most in the military don't have the funds or the pull to step through the door."

"I'll pretend not to be impressed," He stated, nodding at the bartender as he took his drink.

"Irra Moon," She introduced herself, holding her hand out to shake.

"Commander Osmond," Micah stated, smirking as he shook her hand.

"So, are we here to just talk business?" Irra inquired, smiling as she closed the distance between them and sat at the stool next to him. "Or do you have something else in mind."

He watched the way her pale blue eyes rolled over his frame. At this point even he could identify flirting, she wasn't exactly subtle.

"I suppose that depends on your business," He stated with a coy smirk despite his disinterest in her advances. She wasn't exactly his type.

Smiling, she reached into the folds of her coat and pulled out a data-disk. Turning on his comm. he pressed a few buttons before closing the screen.

"There, you've been paid in full." He stated, watching as she confirmed with her wrist comm.

"Well, then that clears up the matter of business," She murmured in a sultry tone.

He felt a pin prick in his sides. Eyebrows furrowing in confusion, he glanced down at her hands. Held delicately in her fingers was a thin dart, its metal surface reflecting light in the dimly lit room. Lining its narrow tip was blood, his blood. His vision began to blur as he jumped away, desperate to get away from her. A wave of dizziness swept over him as his legs weakened, giving in. He hit the floor hard as his body betrayed him. She stood, smirking as his even his fingers failed to move. Paralysis was setting in as his eyes closed. Faintly he wondered what would happen to Mia, since his own future was inevitable. Following that thought was darkness.

August 2nd, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

Laughing, Mia stood up, ready to get napkins for Luke when a wave of dizziness hit her. Her vision blurred, tilting as lost her footing. Anakin caught her in his arms before she could hit the floor, pulling her close as her arms and legs went limp. Mia blinked, struggling to keep her eyes open as Claus's blurry figure rushed up in front of her.

"Mia, can you hear me?" He asked her as calmly as he could.

She blinked, the fogginess starting to clear her head as she nodded slowly, hanging onto consciousness. "I felt really dizzy all of a sudden," Mia mumbled, looking around as Luke and Leia crowded around her.

"Are you okay Mia?" Leia asked her, fretting.

"I'm fine," She muttered, becoming more aware of the way Anakin was holding her up as Claus's cold fingers pressed to the inside of her wrist, his eyes trained on his watch.

"I think we might need to do more tests," Claus stated, glancing between her and Anakin.

Mia shook her head, "I'm fine, I just got dizzy, I probably just stood up too fast," She insisted, trying to snatch her arm away from Claus.

He barely resisted, choosing instead to reach for his pen light and click it on. Flashing her right eye, he tested her pupil response and compared it her left. Suddenly Obi-wan was at his side, passing Mia's field medic kit over.

"Traitor," Mia mumbled, sitting up more.

Anakin glanced at Obi-wan, surprised at her level of resistance to medical care, she who always scolded him for dodging out of medical exams. There was something about that uncharacteristic response that didn't sit right with him. He watched as Claus dutifully checked her blood pressure, ignoring her protests.

"Well, your blood pressure, while fairly low, is within range. Your heartrate is stabilizing." Claus commented, pulling away. "Perhaps you did just stand up too fast but I think to be safe you should check your vitals later."

Mia nodded, figuring this was the easiest way to make them calm down and stop worrying. Something felt unsettling but she wasn't entirely sure what it was.

* * *

Please review, they make me so happy. I hope you all love the new movie and remember, don't spoil it for any of your fellow fans. Such actions are unkind. Have a wonderful weekend.


	28. The Storm is Brewing

August 4th, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia walked down the halls, slipping her hands into her white coat, glancing around as she tried to memorize the hallways. The nurses' station suddenly became visible as she rounded the corner. Smiling faintly, she walked up to where she spotted Reina glancing over a file. Her warm brown eyes glanced up at Mia, a smile appearing.

"First day?" She inquired, setting the file aside.

Mia nodded.

"I think Claus was assigned to show you around. His office is down the hall, last door on your left." Reina explained.

"Thank you Reina," Mia told her as she continued walking.

Walking down the hall, she looked among the hospital rooms, most of them empty, apart from a few Rebels with obvious injuries they'd probably sustained on a mission. Continuing down the hall, she stopped at the last door and knocked. The door was opened a moment later.

Claus smirked, "You're late," He stated.

"Only by your definition," Mia disputed, her voice laced with amusement, "I didn't even know I was supposed to meet up with you until a moment ago."

Nodding, Claus stepped out of his small office. "Alright, I think we better start with the tour. I hear you're in emergency medicine?"

"Yeah," She confirmed.

"You'll probably spend most of your time in this ward or in critical care, which I can show you now. We can get to the full tour later," He explained.

"Are you still in emergency medicine? It seems like you spend more of your time in diagnostics," Mia commented as her eyes roamed along the halls, memorizing every detail she could.

"I suppose I've begun to dabble a bit more," Claus mused.

Mia smiled.

They passed through a wide, automatic door into the critical care ward. It was fairly quiet, apart from one man who was complaining about his dislocated shoulder. Going from his ornery disposition, it wasn't hard to guess the injury had been the result of a fight. The room was rather spacious but empty.

"Most of our patients in critical care come for the injuries they receive on missions. Occasionally we get an accident from time to time, such as Halls here," Claus explained, pointing at the man with the dislocated shoulder.

"Hey, I won that fight!" Halls called out, hearing that remark.

"I don't see your opponent in here for treatment, one might not take stock in your claims of winning," Mia retorted sarcastically, smirking in amusement.

Shaking his head, Claus continued the tour into the next hall.

August 4th, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia sat on the small cot in the corner of the tiny office, spearing parts of her salad with her fork as she enjoyed her lunch. Claus sat at his desk with a relatively untouched sandwich sitting in front of him. He glanced at his daughter as she stopped to take a drink of her water. He'd been debating when would be most opportune moment for tell her for days. Waiting to tell her was becoming more and more difficult. There was no Jedi Council to stop him from telling her this time. However, there were certain things that would be difficult to explain to her, simply because he no longer knew how she'd react. No matter how much he loved her, his daughter had become a stranger to him. She was older, more mature and she'd been through a lot more than the teenager he'd taught in medicine.

"What's wrong?" Mia inquired, noticing his fidgety posture and the way he occasionally glanced at her.

He glanced up at her as she tilted her head in concern, her bright grey eyes watching him carefully.

"Do you have bad news or something like that?" Mia asked him directly, wondering what it could be.

"It's not bad news," He assured her almost too quickly.

She sat up more, setting her lunch to the side. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure now is the time?" Claus trailed off, losing his nerve.

"Is it my test results?" Mia asked him, eyebrows furrowing.

"No, it's not," Claus answered, trying to back out.

She looked at him in confusion. "Is it important?" She asked him, frowning.

He nodded slowly, not able to meet her gaze.

"Am I involved?" Mia questioned.

"Yes," He answered.

She didn't seem to want to let it drop after that. "Why don't you want to tell me?"

"It's complicated," Claus explained tiredly.

Mia sighed, sitting back a tad. "I've had a whole month of complicated, I don't think this can top it," She commented quietly, looking away.

"Mia, what did Obi-wan tell you about your family?" He inquired despite already knowing the answer.

She paused for a moment, taken off guard. "Um, my mom was young but I don't look much like her and she's from Ammi-seru and it was a horrible place. She was sick," She trailed off for a moment. Mia swallowed thickly, glancing away. "She was dying and she wanted me to become a Jedi so I would be cared for."

"I found out some other things, but they're also kind of complicated," She added, wondering if this new information would add to her mysterious past.

Claus nodded as he took out two photos from his desk drawer. Standing, he silently offered them to her. Taking them from him, Mia looked at them. Her eyes widened. A much younger version of Claus, from his Padawan days, sat next to a woman with long, wavy blond hair. They were sitting on a ratty old chair and her head was rested on his shoulder, both of them smiling widely. This younger Claus looked so much happier than she could remember him ever being. In the second photo they were sitting on the same chair but they were each holding infants. Both children were wrapped in clean, soft looking blankets that looked like they were made from hand. Both children had tuffs of dark, not quite black hair.

Micah, he looked so much like this younger Claus, they had similar facial structures. Though, she'd never seen her brother smile like that, so happy and carefree.

She felt a warm tear hit the top of her thumb. It rolled down the side of her hand and along the inside of her palm.

Her father was alive. What was more, he had always been in her life.

Setting the photos aside, she jumped up to hug her dad. He seemed shocked by her reaction, almost hesitating before he hugged her back. Pulling away, Mia smiled.

"You're my dad," She mumbled before sitting back down. She wiped away another happy tear, smiling. "I never thought I'd find out.

Reaching for the photo of her family, she looked back at both infants. It was hard to tell at first but it was Micah her dad was holding. She wasn't entirely sure how she knew that, but she did.

Claus sat back down at his desk, watching her look at the photo of their family, all together for such a short period of time.

"Your brother, Micah," Claus started slowly.

She smiled when she heard her brother's name.

"Do you know what happened to him?" Mia inquired.

While she was certain he probably knew as much as the Jedi had, part of her hoped that, somehow, he could just tell he was out there in the galaxy.

"Mia, he died when he was two." Claus told her quietly, unable to meet her gaze. "A Jedi came to take him to the Temple, before you, and the ship he was in crashed."

Her heart broke for the sadness in his eyes. He well and truly believed his son was dead and for five years he'd had no way of knowing if she was safe.

Mia bit her lip, wishing desperately she could tell him right now that his son was safe. Part of her knew she couldn't, not now at least. It had been heartbreaking for her to find out what happened to her brother, all the horrors he'd experienced growing up that he refused to talk about. He'd lost twenty-four years of his life to the dark side, years he could have been happy and healthy.

"I know," She mumbled, looking away.

"You know?" Claus questioned, shocked. Obi-wan had vowed so long ago to never tell her, it was hard to imagine how she would have found out. "How do you know?"

Mia sighed, "I saw my Jedi file once, it had a record of the investigation," She whispered, smiling sadly. "I guess I was hoping you knew something they didn't."

"I'm really happy you told me," She added, smiling wider.

Someone knocked on his office door. A nurse stepped in momentarily to hand him another patient file.

"I suppose we should get back to work then," Claus stated.

"Okay but I still have so many questions," Mia stated, "Can we meet after our shifts at the dining hall?"

Nodding with a smile, Claus agreed and stepped outside the office.

August 4th, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

Claus waited nervously at a table in the center of the dining hall, watching as Rebels sat down with their dinner—or breakfast, in some cases, since everyone scheduled for the night shift was likely preparing with coffee right now. He looked around the room for any sign of his daughter. He couldn't tell if she was late or he was just impatient. It was probably the latter. She had questions, many of them apparently, and he was a mix of nervous and eager to answer them.

Mia suddenly set a cup, presumably full of coffee, in front of him. In her other hand she held a similar paper cup.

"I was hoping we could talk outside," Mia explained, gesturing for him to follow her.

Standing, he followed her out to the side door. They stood on the deck, staring out at the slowly darkening blue sky.

"Too loud in there?" Claus guessed.

Mia shrugged, "It is but the real reason I wanted to talk outside is because I've hardly been outside, breathing in fresh air, the past year. I never realized how much I missed it until I got here," She explained. "So I was thinking we could walk around the base and talk."

"Trying to learn the layout of the base while you're at it as well?" Claus questioned, not at all surprised.

"I'm a multitasker," Mia brushed it off.

Nodding, he led her over to the stairs leading onto the field where she'd landed her ship just a few days ago.

"What do you want to know?" Claus inquired.

"Could you tell me more about my mom?" Mia asked immediately, "I've heard a bit about her from Obi-wan but he never really knew her, he just met her for a few days. You knew her better than anyone."

Claus smiled. "Her name was Saru, and you were wrong when you said you look nothing like her. You're a lot more like her than you realize."

"In personality maybe but it's pretty obvious I look a lot more like you," Mia stated.

"You have my coloring but there are things you definitely have in common with her." He explained. "For starters, those freckles you were born with, you got those from her. You have her smile, her cheekbones, her wide eyes."

Mia smiled at the thought.

"Where personality is concerned, you have so much of her in you," Claus continued. "You have her kindness, her empathy and ability to understand others. You're both selfless, driven and wildly intelligent. Those weren't qualities the Jedi had to teach you."

"Okay then, what did I get from you?" Mia asked, "Besides Force ability and an interest in medicine."

"Well, you do have my biting sarcasm," Claus commented in amusement.

Mia sipped her tea, thinking it over. "Can I ask you something?"

"I think that was the point of the walk," Claus pointed out with a touch of sarcasm.

"It's about my home planet." Mia trailed off. "Why did you leave her there? It's horrible there—from what I've heard at least. All they seem to do there is oppress."

Claus sighed. "I know it might not be easy to understand, but to your mom it wasn't really like that," He explained.

Mia opened her mouth to argue before thinking the better of it. She couldn't very well share her experiences there, not yet at least, for fear of raising too many questions.

"They're horrible there," She restated.

"Saru found freedom in her faith. She acknowledged that some people used it and perverted it for their own ill intentions but it was a product of their own lack of faith. To her, everything she did, she did to protect and show kindness." Claus explained. "And I didn't leave her there. I only went back to the Temple so I could finish my medical training and take her to a more peaceful planet, where we could start a life together."

"Admittedly, we started our life together much sooner than I'd anticipated. Most of the money I saved together from the Temple allowance I sent to her so that she could stay home with you two and raise you in peace."

"She got sick though, and it was near impossible for her to get any word back to me then. Comms. were so hard to come by on her planet, even if you had one you had to pay an arm and a leg to transmit anything. Because of this she couldn't tell me she was sick or that she was letting a Jedi take you or your brother."

Mia nodded slowly, blinking slowly as tears began to well in her eyes.

"Did Obi-wan know?" She inquired, "Did he know you were my dad?"

"Would you believe he actually figured it out on his own, without anyone having to tell him?" Claus asked her, smiling faintly.

"Yes actually," Mia laughed, "How'd he figure it out?"

He laughed at the memory, "Well, as it turns out you were very fussy during your first few weeks within the Jedi Temple. Nobody, with the exception of Obi-wan and, on occasion, Master Qui-gon could hold you. If they tried, you'd cry."

"I'm guessing the cries of a Deaf child are far more unpleasant than those of a hearing child," Mia guessed.

She had a faint memory of falling in the Jedi Temple and scraping her elbow, knee and cheek. Her crying had been so alarming nobody wanted to go near her. She would have been four at the time. She'd once been witness to another incident in her last weeks at the Jedi Temple when she'd been assigned to teach two Deaf younglings. The little boy had been so badly scared by something he'd screamed. It was as if he was howling almost, a screeching warbly sound.

"Saru always joked that if something bad happened to you, she'd be immediately able to tell it was you crying," Claus added.

She smiled faintly.

"I found Obi-wan with you in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, I immediately recognized you. Obi-wan was a little suspicious that I knew you by name, you'd only been there a few days. Then you reached out for me. He put two and two together. You were happy to be held by me because you'd already formed a connection with me," He explained.

"The reason Obi-wan didn't tell you I was your father was because he was under strict orders of both the Jedi Council and Master Qui-gon to withhold the information from you." Claus continued. "He did everything he could, within reason, to make sure we at least got to spend some time together. He even put in the request for me to tutor you in medicine himself."

Mia smiled widely. Regardless of how forthcoming Obi-wan had been with her past, he always had her best interests at heart.

August 4th, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

Anakin walked down the halls of the infirmary slowly, looking for any sign of Mia. The plan was for him to meet her at the dining hall after her shift was over but she wasn't there. He figured she was probably still working. Moving past two nurses, he approached the nurses' station. Reina was there, putting files away. She noticed him as he stopped at the counter right away.

"Is Mia still here?" Anakin asked, glancing around one more time.

Reina shook her head. "She clocked out. I got the impression she was meeting with Claus afterwards," She answered. "He was the one assigned to show her around the infirmary."

"Thanks," Anakin mentioned before leaving.

He wondered what the sudden change in plans was. Before she'd been planning to head straight home with him and get dinner started. Obi-wan was even planning to come over.

Walking out of the dining hall, he started heading home. She would probably return later. At least he could be certain she'd make it home safely if Claus was with her.

Rays of sun speckled the forest ground as he made his way down the familiar path. Stuffing his hands inside his pockets, he wondered if Claus would tell her the secret he'd been holding for the last twenty-six years. Anakin needed her to know but he couldn't be the person to tell her, that was perfectly apparent. If she found out, would she tell Claus about her brother, who was presumed dead by all but Mia.

Looking up, he stopped in his tracks. Straight ahead in the small clearing outside their home was Mia and Claus. She was smiling widely, happy, delighted even. Walking about the bend in the path, he approached them.

"I did not get into _that_ much trouble," Mia insisted, laughing.

"Shall we ask Obi-wan?" Claus challenged.

"I wouldn't bother, Obi-wan more often than not takes her side," Anakin voiced once he was close enough.

Mia smiled warmly at him. It almost made him not want to mention she'd worried him.

Almost, of course.

"By the way, you forgot to meet me at the dining hall," He mentioned to Mia.

Her eyes widened as she remembered. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot," She murmured apologetically.

"It's okay," Anakin assured her with an easy-going smile. "I need to pick Luke and Leia up from the daycare, do you want to still go with me."

Luke and Leia had practically thrown a tantrum earlier in the morning while she was getting ready for her first day, not wanting to be separated from her. It was understandable after everything that had happened. Mia had been near tears as she tried to reassure them that she'd be back later that day.

Anakin sighed, the separation anxiety hadn't been this bad since their first week on Myrkr but it was something all children went through eventually.

Mia nodded, "Yeah," She agreed. Turning to Claus, she smiled warmly, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Take care," He told her before turning to walk away.

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed together as he watched her eyes drift away, watching Claus walk away with a distant expression. She looked like a hurricane of thoughts were roaring through, the gears of her mind turning quickly.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, concerned.

She blinked, "I'm fine," She assured him, opening her eyes as she smiled up at him. "Come on, let's go get Luke and Leia."

Smiling, he took her hand in his. Her fingers gave a gentle squeeze as she smiled, but inside her eyes he could see her mind was preoccupied.

"How was your first day?" Anakin inquired as they began walking downhill along a path that was familiar to him but foreign to her.

"It was good, pretty quiet, there wasn't much excitement." Mia replied.

Walking around a sharp bend in the path, they walked down a short series of stone steps. The moss covered trees surrounded them, giving them cover as they passed little house after little house. Each one, while relatively similar, was unique in its own way. Some had small garden patches, others were painted bright colors like sky blue and berry red. To Mia, this base more closely resembled a community than a hidden military base.

Mia had seen images of the other two bases available and they were very different from here or Myrkr. There were no small apartments or houses. Instead there were single or double rooms, or there were larger rooms lined with bunk beds for more communal living. Although Myrkr held some similarities to those bases, it was stark contrast.

In a little clearing was a much larger building with wide windows. It stuck out from all the others she'd seen on this base but that was partly because it had been renovated a bit. Toys and hand-built playground equipment were enclosed by a short wood fence. Walking onto the porch, Anakin opened the door, motioning for Mia to step inside.

Immediately inside was a mud room with cubbies and hooks for coats. Stepping further into the hallway, Anakin turned right down the hall, walking to the far door.

"Is this where they'll be starting school as well?" Mia inquired as she noticed one of the classrooms was filled with desks meant for older children.

"They're basically just graduating to a new room. I'm told class sizes are pretty small because there aren't a whole lot of kids on base so they'll get a lot of time with the teacher," Anakin explained.

Opening the door, he poked his head in.

Inside were a total of seven children, most of them occupied with small activities like playing with blocks or coloring.

"Mia!" Leia shouted the second she bounded forward to hug her.

Crouching down, Mia hugged Leia eagerly. "Hey Princess," She greeted, smiling.

Luke was behind Leia in a second, waiting for his own hug. Extending an arm, Mia pulled him further in, laughing with joy.

"Did you have fun today?" Mia asked them both.

"Yes, but not as much fun as we had with you," Leia told her, grinning. "Can we go home?"

"Yeah, that's the idea," Mia laughed, a touch of sarcasm in her tone.

Standing, she took their hands in hers, noting that Anakin had stepped away to talk to the care taker for a moment. Turning, he walked back to them and picked Leia up in his arms. As they walked out into the hall, he asked her what she'd done. Mia smiled warmly as she listened to Luke and Leia both rattle off all the fun things they did that day. They colored pictures of animals from all across the galaxy, listened to a new song and built an apparently massive castle out of blocks.

"And it was really tall and it had a tower and a ballroom and Luke made a moat," Leia excitedly described the castle they'd built. "It was the best castle ever."

"Did it have a princess?" Anakin asked her.

"I was the princess and I wanted Luke to be a prince," Leia started off before Luke cut her off with: "But I wanted to be a knight because they're cooler than princes."

Anakin smirked. "Can't argue with that," He agreed.

Mia smiled as they neared their little home, laughing as Luke ran inside. Leia made a fuss as she ordered her dad to let her down so she could chase after Luke. Mia laughed, grasping Anakin's hand in hers as they followed the children inside. The light pounding of feet up the stairs felt surprisingly familiar to her ears, followed by laughter as Luke and Leia ran back outside with a ball.

"I think living here has been good for them," Mia mused as she started a pot of tea. "Before they were always running down the halls of Myrkr to burn off all that energy but those halls were cold and without the freedom of fresh air."

"I have to agree," Anakin murmured, standing by her side.

He turned to her, noticing the distant look in her eyes. The gears in her mind were turning as she let herself be carried away by her thoughts. He couldn't help but wonder what they were.

"What is it?" He asked Mia.

She turned to him like she was just a youngling caught daydreaming in class.

"You looked lost in thought," Anakin mention. "Anything special."

Mia sighed, looking out the window as she leaned against the counter. "Nothing, I was just wondering what life would be like if our family grew a little," Mia whispered.

Anakin looked at her, stunned. "You mean have a kid of our own?" He asked, suddenly thrilled.

Mia shook her head. "That wasn't what I was thinking," She murmured, not noticing the look of disappointment on his face.

Her expression went from lost in thought to distant. "I was thinking about some extended relatives."

"You mean like your brother?" Anakin guessed.

_Like your father?_ He thought to himself.

"Maybe, if one day he's back in my life, yeah." Mia whispered. "I think I'd like him to meet you and the twins, I'd like him to be a part of my family."

She looked down. "That is, of course, not likely to ever happen," She mumbled.

"Of course it could happen Mia," Anakin insisted, taking her hands in his. "If anything since meeting you has taught me anything, anything is possible."

A single tear slid down her cheek. Eyebrows furrowing in confusion, she touched her fingers, wiping the tear away.

"Are you alright?" Anakin asked her, growing concerned.

Mia let out a rushed breath. "I don't know why I'm crying," She murmured, looking away. "That doesn't make sense."

Anakin looked at her in concern. It wasn't the first time that happened. A few times in the last day or so she'd become teary-eyed without any warning but claim to not know why. Something was off, not necessarily with her, but something was off and it was more likely than not she knew. He could tell by the way her eyes still watered and the skin of her bare arms was raised, like she sensed some sort of danger. Maybe something in the Force was warning her.

The kettle on the stove whistled. Turning, Mia turned the stove off and poured herself a cup of tea before walking into the living room. Anakin watched as she retreated to that chair, the chair he knew she'd take a liking to, like she was drawn to it. She'd set the tea down to cool and lose herself in thought. She'd more likely than not end up leaving it alone until it was barely even warm. Her thoughts would take her somewhere too far off. He knew her, sometimes better than she knew herself.

August 4th, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

The twins had been put to bed and Mia had disappeared upstairs. Anakin stood in the kitchen, standing over the clean dishes of their dinner, contemplating what had Mia so consumed in thought. Even as she cooked their dinner, even as she ate it with them, she barely paid attention to anything but the task at hand. She seemed to be running on autopilot, fulfilling tasks that had been ingrained enough in her mind that she barely even had to think about it. Staring down at the sink with its murky water, he wondered what was wrong.

Maybe it was the thoughts of her family. In the span of just over a month, she'd learned she had far more of it than she'd originally thought. A part of her was longing to be reunited with her brother, just as she had longed to be reunited with her family here. He couldn't blame her. Micah, though he was still known as Darth Brutus to Anakin, was her blood. He was her twin and no matter how little time she'd had to spend with him as children, he was ingrained in her. There was no part of him that doubted she was ingrained in Micah as well. Anakin hoped that piece of her in him would lure him into the light.

If anyone had the gift to see light where others only saw darkness, it was her.

Walking to the stairs, he stared up for a moment. Somehow he could sense there was a long conversation in his immediate future. Going up, he approached the door to their shared bedroom. Pushing it open, he found her sitting on the bed. Her gaze was pointed out the window as the comforter was placed over her legs.

"Hey," She whispered.

"Hey," He murmured, walking to sit down in front of her.

They lapsed in a long silence. Mia sipped tea from her mug, watching anything but him.

"Does it ever surprise you what can change in just a day, that in just a few hours your entire world could shift?" Mia asked him.

He nodded, thinking of her first day back, mere days ago. "Yeah," He quietly agreed.

"It seems like my life has just been full of change," Mia murmured. "They're good changes, but some of them are just so complicated."

"Are we talking about Micah?" Anakin inquired.

"No, I'm taking about Claus," Mia replied, turning to meet his gaze.

He drew in a deep breath, knowing the conversation they were about to have.

She sighed. "My dad is here, only a short walk away. I could be at his doorstep in just a few minutes," She whispered, looking overwhelmed. "He was exactly that far away for almost my entire life and I never realized."

"And I realize why I couldn't know, why nobody could tell me, but nobody had that right to keep it from me," Mia continued. Her expression was tired. "All my life, I thought I didn't have a parent out there, not one that knew about me at least. My mom was dead and my father was a mystery. I was by all rights parentless, and my father was watching over me, walking this frail little balance between distance and closeness."

"I don't know how he did it. If I had a daughter nobody would let me see, I'd just run away with her. Screw the consequences, I would take her and I would never stop running," Mia whispered. "That wasn't an option for him. As much as he must have thought about it, he put me first."

Anakin took her hands in his, giving them a gentle squeeze.

"But I've lost all this time with him," Mia added, looking lost.

"What's worse is that he thinks Micah is dead and for the life of me, I don't know if I can tell him the truth. It would devastate him, he'd blame himself. He already blames himself but this would bring him unimaginable pain," Mia stated, torn.

"And for the life of me I can't understand how you've been so calm about this," Mia whispered.

Her steel grey eyes, freckled with gold flakes, met his deep blue eyes.

"I knew," Anakin mumbled. "I figured it out on my own when you told me about Micah and your Jedi father."

Mia's eyes widened in shock.

"Claus told me about his wife who died, his son who died when he was two, and his daughter who was raised by someone else. He never said names but when you told me what happened to Micah, it just clicked." Anakin explained. "I wanted to tell you but I knew…"

"I knew that if I was in that situation, where Leia didn't know I was her father, I wouldn't want her boyfriend to be the one who told her," Anakin continued.

Mia looked down for a moment before glancing back up. "I think at this point you're a bit more than a boyfriend," She mentioned softly.

Anakin smiled at the thought.

"You're probably right, I would have wanted to hear it from him first," She agreed. "Although, you figuring it out before me does touch a sore spot."

Anakin laughed before remembering something, something that had been bothering him for some time before now. He had never fully understood the reason Claus punched him on his first night here, the night that happened to be Mia's birthday. It made much more sense now.

"What?" Mia asked him, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. "What is it?"

"Nothing, just recalling a very interesting conversation I had with Claus," Anakin mumbled.

She sat up more, looking at him with wide-eyed curiosity as she silently waited for him to tell her. Anakin sighed, wondering if it was for the best that he tell her but given what they had just talked about, he doubted it would shock her much.

"It wasn't much of a conversation," He added, trying to deflate her interest.

"You just said it was interesting," Mia pointed out, raising a challenging eyebrow.

He rubbed his jaw and the rough, growing stubble as he pondered what her exact reaction would be.

"It might have been on your birthday," Anakin added.

Her eyebrows furrowed in surprise. "What does my birthday have to do with it?" She asked.

Anakin sighed in defeat, knowing she wouldn't stop asking until she knew. "Claus punched me and said a few angry words and then stormed off," Anakin explained. "It was also the night before shit hit the fan and I was admitted, only to have Claus as my doctor."

"Why would he do that?" Mia questioned, shocked. "I've never in my life seen him be anything more than irritated at something."

"I think at the time he was still very upset at hearing you'd been taken by the Empire and I think he needed someone to blame and that night, for the first time in five years, he ran into me." Anakin explained, a hidden sadness lingering in his voice. "He still felt betrayed for the Jedi Order, it never really went away, and then he'd lost you for what he thought was forever."

Mia nodded understandingly before looking up at Anakin. "Is there a card out there for: 'Sorry my dad hit you because he thought I was dead'?" She asked him quietly, wearing an amused smile.

Anakin burst out laughing at the thought. "No, but I'm sure there are a few for 'Sorry my dad hit you because we're dating.'" He told her.

Mia giggled, grinning as she slouched forward, her shoulders shaking. As they sobered up from their laughter, Anakin suggested they go to bed. Part of him suspected there was a long day stretching out ahead of them tomorrow and they would need all the rest they could get.

August 5th, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

_**Mia laughed as she chased her brother around the field, reaching out as she nearly caught him in their game. Micah dodged just out of reach, seeming to know every move and every strategy she would use. She called his name, giggling as the sun warmed her back. Finally she caught him, gripping his arm as she tagged him. He complained of course, not wanting to be the person tasked with chasing the other.**_

"_**Darling, won't you come inside?" Saru asked her imploringly. "It's going to get cold out soon."**_

"_**But I'm finally winning this game," Mia argued, wanting to keep playing.**_

_**Her dad walked up beside her mom, wrapping his arm around her. "I think we can give them a few more minutes, or until Micah tags Mia again," He suggested to Saru.**_

_**Smiling at the excuse to keep playing, Mia set to stretch out the game as long as possible and not let Micah tag her. As she ran around the field, luring Micah to chase her before narrowly ducking away from him and sprinting in the opposite direction, she didn't notice the darkening sky or that her parents had gone inside. As night set upon the field, she didn't even notice her brother choosing to go inside as well. **_

_**Mia laughed as she ran around and spinning about before a cold hand grasped her arm. All signs of laughter and joy died as she looked at the hand that gripped her arm tightly. The fingers were wrinkled and yellow with nails that extended outward, breaking her skin on contact. Eyes wide, her gaze followed the arm, encased in coarse black fabric, up the face of the man who held her at his side. His face was scarred with greyed skin and bright yellow eyes. The cloaked man yanked her arm backwards, dragging her off until the last thing she heard was a shrill, piercing scream calling out for her father.**_

Mia woke up in their bed, eyes wide and her skin coated in sweat. Breathing heavily, she sat up and searched the room for the monster that had dragged her away from her family. A warm, comforting hand was placed on her shoulder. Turning, Mia launched herself into Anakin's arms, finding refuge from the haunting nightmare.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Anakin asked her, though he sensed he knew the answer.

She shook her head, keeping her face buried in the crook of his shoulder.

"Do you want me to make you some tea?" He asked her.

Mia nodded, not because she thought tea would help much or because Anakin's tea was particularly good. She nodded in a need to, even for a short while, be alone with her thoughts.

She feigned a smile as he left the room to go downstairs before curling her legs up against her chest. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she stared at the wall. A part of her could still feel the cold hand on her arm, dragging her away. For a moment in that dream, everything had felt so peaceful and free. For a moment her family was whole and happy, two parents with two normal children. It felt so real, like the rest of her life had been erased from her memory. Why were dreams so confusing like that, she wondered.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Anakin walking in with a cup of tea. She smiled, accepting it from him as she set it on the bedside table. Lying back down on the bed, Anakin pulled Mia close to him so that her head was rested on his chest. Her arms wrapped around him instinctively, familiar with the ways he'd comfort her after a nightmare.

Mia smiled as Anakin told her small stories of Luke and Leia while she'd been away. He spun together pretty images she could almost see for herself, implanting the memories in her head. He recalled the memory of Luke and Leia apparently running in the hospital and Leia complaining that Obi-wan was too slow. Her comment that Obi-wan was old enough to need a cane brought a laugh out of Mia. He told her about Luke chasing Leia with the threats of getting mud on her, the argument they'd had inside Leia's fort about whether they should have tea or play a board game. Mia smiled as he recalled all the teasing conversations he'd had with Obi-wan.

These little stories were his way of luring her back to sleep. He kept her mind busy until it was ready to drift off. When she closed her eyes and her breathing evened out, Anakin turned off the light and began drifting off as well.

August 5th, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

Mia woke with a groggy yawn as she rolled over to talk to Anakin. To her surprise, he'd woken before her. She supposed she shouldn't be too surprised by that, she'd woken up alone many times before because he meditated in the mornings. Sitting up, Mia raised out her arms to stretch, loosening the muscles in her shoulders and back. Getting up, Mia walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. To her surprise, she heard a foreign voice in the living room. It was feminine but she doubted anyone would be visiting this early in the morning.

She found Anakin sitting on the couch with a shocked expression.

"What is it?" Mia asked before she noticed the flickering lights.

"It's all over the holo-net," Anakin murmured.

All the housing units on the base had a basic holo-net hookup to keep them informed on major news updates in and outside the base.

Eyebrows furrowed, Mia watched as a picture of her masked brother flickered across the screen.

"Imperial Officials have announced that Darth Brutus has decided to step down from his post as second in command, though he himself has not made an official statement." The woman announced. "Lady Sirious has been appointed in the position."

Mia stumbled backwards onto the couch in shock, her hand flying to her mouth as she tried not to cry out. Tears welled in her eyes, understanding the hidden and twisted truths in the message.

_Mia, nobody in my position just leaves the Empire…_

He'd said those words, those exact words, the day she'd left. She let out a horrified sob, knowing she'd never see her brother again.

_Oh no, Micah…_

August 5th, Five Years Post Galactic Empire

The guards dragged his limp body across the prison floors, not seeming to be burdened by his weight. Passing through several gates and security systems in the long hallway, they reached the prison cell at the end. The door opened with a twelve digit code, screeching open like it had not been used in decades.

They tossed him in like he was nothing, turning before he'd even finished tumbling inside. The door closed, leaving him in darkness. Groaning, Micah rolled over, his cuffed hands reaching for his throbbing head. The poison that had left him more or less paralyzed for the last three days was still wreaking havoc on his body as it slowly left his system. It was still a struggle to move, taking every bit of his energy to even raise his head. The Force was completely absent, stolen away from his body with toxic drugs he'd had a hand in helping manufacture. It didn't take a genius to figure out how long those would stay in his system.

"Mia," He mumbled, knowing he'd never see his sister again.

* * *

Quick mention, if you're curious, in Mia's dream Mia and Micah are about seven. Also, Mia does frequently have dreams in sound and has had them since about age 7 shorty after she begun to learn to hear with increasing frequency as she got older.

Also, I'd really like to thank everyone who read, reviewed and favorited/followed my story after I posted my last chapter. It was really encouraging! I'm very thankful to all my new readers and all the readers who have stuck with me this far. Please leave me a review and tell me how you liked it.


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